Pentecost, A Day of Judgment.

As we approach the day of Pentecost, many of the churches that were formed since the break up of WCG will be preparing to celebrate the day as the "the birthday of the church." And the hirelings that now operate out of UCG, PCG, LCG, RCG, COG-Hulme and all the other divided splinter groups, will be preparing sermons entitled, "The Meaning of the Day." This approach is not surprising, for they inherited it as a tradition from WCG.

But does God require or has he asked his children to celebrate the birthday of the church? The answer to this question will surprise many! And I defy anyone to prove to me that Pentecost is a celebration of the birth of the church!

On the contrary, Pentecost is a day or a period of judgment, as it mirrors The Last Great Day, which follows the Feast of Tabernacles, which is also a period of judgment. Pentecost begins that period of time, which is summed up in the phrase, "now is the day of salvation". It is during this time that the prophecy given to Moses is being fulfilled. For God told Moses: "I will have mercy on whom he will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion"(Romans.9:15). That act of mercy and compassion began on the day of Pentecost, with the gift of the Holy Spirit, to his elect.

So when Jesus stood up on the The last Great Day of the Feast, and spoke thus: John 7:37-39. His sermon was about what would happen on Pentecost and beyond, as God began to call "the vessels of mercy" to salvation, and reject "the vessels of wrath"(Romans 9:22-24).

Swine Flu: a biblical Prophecy?

I am not sure how destructive the current outbreak of swine flu is likely to be, but the Bible prophesies disease epidemics that will kill millions. This outbreak could be the partial fulfilment of those prophecies. The pivotal prophecy that Mr. Herbert Armstrong used to constantly remind the church of is found in Matt.24:7.

The events outlined there are described as "the beginning of sorrows." Of course, these prophetic warnings have been rejected by Joe Tkach and his loony supporters, and also by a growing cabal of insane scoffers, especially the mindless group that tend to coalesce around AW blog, feeding on endless gossip, innuendo and slander. But the madness of scoffers was foretold by God thus 2 Pet.3:3-5.

Meanwhile, the WHO and other health agencies are now panicking, while trying to reassure the public that all will be well. But if this outbreak is a fulfilment of prophecy, all their health measures and reassurances will prove useless.

However, God's elect has nothing to fear. For they have this promise Psalm 91:1-15. And all the promises of God are (2 Cor.1:20).

Christian or Just Religious, Which?

Is being religious the same as being Christian? Well, I think it is obvious to Protestants, Catholics and other evangelical denominations, that the people who worship at the altars of eastern religions are not Christian. But Protestants, Catholics and other evangelicals tend to believe that they are all Christian, even tough they can't agree on what the bible teaches on marriage, homosexuality, contraception, the ordination of women and a host of other precepts and practices.

This misguided belief is very evident amongst the so-called churches of God. For example, UCG has a different form of government from LCG, PCG, RCG, COG/Hulme and a host of other divided splinter groups. Also, ever so often turf wars breakout among the various churches of god, and ministers, or to be more exact, hirelings leave to start their own church or join some other divided group. A recent example was John Meakin leaving COG/Hulme to join LCG. Yet, because of some form of aberration, they all believe that they are Christian. Well, nothing could be further from the truth.

After Jesus delivered his sermon on the mount, defining the characteristics of a true Christian, he summed it up thus: Matt. 7:24-27. So to determine who is a Christian, all we have to do is review the sayings of Christ, and then look around to see who is doing them.

Now no one in his right mind can believe that Christ is divided, or that a faithful minister of Christ would forsake a group of Christians and join another group of Christians, and some how believe that both groups will one day end up in the kingdom of God. If this practice is not madness, then I must be insane!

A Complete Metamorphosis

With WCG changing its name to Grace Communion International, Joe Tkach's journey from Damascus is now complete. The journey to oblivion began in the late 1980s with a covert visit to Azuzu Pacific, a theological college based in southern California. There Joe and his fellow cohorts were seduced by Satan in believing that Mr. Armstrong was a false prophet and that WCG was a dangerous cult. One could never image the horror that must have assailed the cohort at this enlightening announcement!

Of course, the story of how the cohort persuaded the unstable Tkach senior to adopt the doctrines of devils have been told over and over again, even by hirelings who were complicit in disseminating them among an unsuspecting laity. So there is no need for me to rehearse that story here. Suffice to say, that those "ministers," who were actually hirelings, are equally as guilty as the cohort for the scattering of God flock upon every mountain(Ezek. 34:6).

Nevertheless, many in LCG, UCG, COG-Hulme, PCG, RCG and most of the other divided, splinter groups will lament this bizarre transformation from a butterfly to a caterpillar!

However, God never ceases to encourage his faithful people by visiting his wrath on the wicked. So don't be surprised if the cohort is swiftly removed from the scene, now that they have completed their journey from Damascus.

The Passover or Bread and Wine?

In the next few days many of the divided groups in cog-land, led by hirelings, who left WCG, drawing away disciples after them, will be get together to celebrate what they will be calling the Passover. But does the act of eating unleavened bread and drinking wine on the 14th of Nisan constitutes observing the Passover? Many will be surprised to learn that the answer is no!

In ancient Israel only the circumcised and the undefiled could honourably celebrate the Passover. And under the NT dispensation, only the spiritually circumcised, who live a life of sanctity and obedience are counted worthy to take the Passover.

The Passover is the communion of the blood and body of Christ(1 Cor.10:16), and those who eat at the table of devils cannot also eat at the table of the Lord (1 Cor.10:21). The hirelings and their followers, who spends every day of their tragic lives eating at the table of devils, are of the perverse, misguided impression that they would be allowed to eat of the table of the Lord. They may take of the symbols of the Passover, but Christ, who is the substance will not be there for them to feed on.

Sadly and tragically, those who have remained under the tyranny and deception of Joe junior, have adopted the Protestant practice of observing what is insultingly called, "the Lord's supper." These are completely insane!

However, when the death angel passes through none of them will be able to escape his vengeance!

A Time For Growth

Spring is here! It is a time of and for growth(Song 2:11-13). But growth is not automatic. The farmer understands that seeds grow better in good ground, that has been well prepared. He also appreciates the need to regularly water his fields. But after carry out these tasks, he remains helpless! For only God is able to give the increase. 1 Cor.3:6). The farmer just has to wait to see whether he will have a bumper harvest, or whether Joel 1:4.

Similarly, spiritual growth is not automatic. For just as in the physical world, the ground must be good and well prepared, so that the seed of the word may germinate deep roots. Else when the sun gets hot, in the form of persecution, the plants will wither and die(Mark 4:16-17), as we have sadly witnessed in the fields of WCG, UCG, PCG RCG, LCG, COGHulme, and all the divided groups in cog-land.

Still, God has provided faithful ministers to feed his people with knowledge and understanding(Jer. 3:15; Eph. 4:11-14). Their role is to edify the body Christ, and bring its members into the UNITY of the faith.

And of course, I am not referring to any of the men that were ordained "ministers" in WCG, who are actually hirelings. These evil men have divided the church and exploited the brethren for the sake "filthy lucre ." These charlatans are not able to feed anyone with knowledge and understanding, as they are completely ignorant of and disobedient to the teachings of the bible.

But those who truly love God, and desire to see him glorified, will heed the warnings of Jesus and
Peter thus: John 15:5-6; 2 Pet. 3:17-18, and will continue to produce good fruit.

The Hireling flees, because he is a Hireling.

On reflection it is quite shocking to realise that most of the men that were ordained ministers in WCG were actually hirelings. But before their hireling status was revealed, they were sometimes able to conceal their devious character under the guise of a true minister of Christ. I said sometimes, for ever so often their malevolant character did coming shining through. But it would be tidious to go through all the instances when my local pastors and visiting hirelings revealed that they were ministers of Satan. And on reflection, their behaviour is not all that surprising, for Paul was inspired to write in 2 Corinthians 11:14-15.

In view of Paul's inspired comments, these evil me were "transformed as the ministers of righteousness," but in reality they were and are the ministers of Satan. And please note Paul's inspired final phrase: "whose end shall be according to their works."

So let us briefly examine their works, so that we can determine their end. Many of them were drunkards, adulterers, liars, covetous and skilled in the art of duplicity and intrigue. But the act that finally exposed their hireling nature was the abandonment of God's elect when the wolf pack attacked the flock. Their works are evil, so their end will be the lake of fire, where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched(Mark 9:44).

So if we contrast the behaviour of the good shepherd with that of the hireling, the malevolence of the hireling's works is clearly manifest. For the words of Jesus are these: John 10:11. A minister that possesses the character of Christ will behave as Christ behaved, and lay down his life for the flock, not run away and leave them to be scattered by the wolves.

Now let us examine how the WCG's hirelings behaved when the flock was under attack? Jesus goes on to say: John 10:12-13. Please note the salient phrase: "The hireling flees BECAUSE he is a hireling, and cares not for the sheep." If WCG's ministers were not hirelings, they would not have fled; but would have laid down their lives for the flock.

Now the question that needs to be answered is this: How did the "ministers" that are now operating in UCG, LCG, PCG, RSG, COGHulme and all the other divided groups in cog-land behave when the flock was under attack from the wolf pack, which was led by Tkach senior? If people are willing to honestly answer this question, they will be driven to the inescapable conclusion that all these men are hirelings.