"New" worldwide Church of God Still Apostate...

[robycop3]

Since the WWCOG's founder/Big Kahoona Herbie Armstrong died in 1986, there have been at least 104 spinoffs of this outfit, while the main gang has undergone a dramatic "transformation" in an attempt to be recognized by "mainstream" Christianity. Here are a few of its changes:

in 1988, Joseph W. Tkach, Sr. who succeeded herbie as "Pastor General", taught it was OK to go to doctors & use medicine, observe birthdays, & use cosmetics, reversinf Herbie's policies on these subjects.

In 1991, they dropped the doctrine that men would become gods, & re-identified many of the descendants of the 10 "lost" tribes of Israel.

In 1993, they "accepted the HOLY TRINITY, & dropped the teaching that the cross symbol of today is a pagan symbol, again reversing Herbie.

The BIGGEST changes came in 1994, as Tkach declared that Christians can be found in other churches & that the WWCOG no longer hadta keep the OT Mosaic law, INCLUDING THE SATURADY SABBATH, which was Herbie's strictest rule!

BUT...

Did this make 'em truly CHRISTIAN?

ABSOLUTELY NOT !

THEIR VIEW ON SALVATION IS STILL SERIOUSLY FLAWED! Herbie taught that salvation is based upon WORX, as well as by belief in Christ! They hase NOT denied this view! They have NEVER declared to "accept" the one BIBLICAL way of salvation-the grace(unmerited favor) of CHRIST thru belief in Him, nor have they declared Herbie to be a false prophet and teacher, as is evident from his own writings, prophecies that failed to come to pass within their specified time limits, & other actions.

They believe that the members who were members while Herbie lived have been saved ever since they joined that org, despite Herboe's way of salvation being clearly apostate.

They believe in soul sleep, despite all the Scriptures to the contrary.

They say it's OK to accept either doctrine of hell-annihilation or eternal punishment, ignoring the fact that this places them in an impossible position of double belief, & despite the numerous Scriptures declaring ETERNAL PUNISHMENT IN GEHENNA for those who die in sin! JESUS preached much more about gehenna than He did heaven!

They are noncommital & waffling regarding homosexuals, & capital punishment, things upon which SCRIPTURE IS CLEAR.

Fact is, THEY STILL CLING TO MUCH OF HERBIE'S STUFF! They are NOT at all entirely weaned from his hooey! They are STILL an apostate org, & despite what they call themselves, they are not a church at all!

As for the some-104 orgs spun off from them, I wouldn't trust any of them. If they REALLY wanted to be ridda Herbie Armstrong's stuff, they woulda either joined an existing true church, or woulda organized one with an entirely-new name, based upon the BIBLE ONLY.

[rstrats]

re: ?They say it's OK to accept either doctrine of hell-annihilation or eternal punishment...?


Why do they have to be mutually exclusive? Why can?t annihilation for eternity be the punishment or penalty imposed on the offending party?

[tired]

Luke 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

[rstrats]

tired,

re: ?Luke 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.?


I?m afraid I don?t understand the point you are making. Could you elaborate a bit?

[robycop3]

re: ?They say it's OK to accept either doctrine of hell-annihilation or eternal punishment...?


Why do they have to be mutually exclusive? Why can?t annihilation for eternity be the punishment or penalty imposed on the offending party?

Because that's not what SCRIPTURE sez.

Revelation 19:20, KJV-
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Revelation 20:10, KJV-
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Revelation 20:15, KJV-
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

[rstrats]

robycop3,


re: ?Revelation 20:10, KJV- And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Revelation 20:15, KJV-And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.?

Without getting into the meaning of ?forever and ever? I don?t see where those verses have anyone other than the devil, the beast and the false prophet being tormented ?forever and ever.? And technically, as the KJV has it, only the devil will be tormented.

[robycop3]

i think it's clear that the AC & false prophet won't exactly have a lark while being in the LOF a thousand years before Satan joins them. Several scriptures say their worm won't die, their flames shall not be quenched. And it's apparent, I believe, that those human souls that will be cast into the LOF will remain there forever with those first three citizens. And JESUS sez there will be degrees of punishment, saying it shall be more tolerable for the people of Sodom than it will be for those of Capernaum, to whom He directly preached.

If heaven & the new earth & new Jerusalem are forever, why not hell? JESUS preached a lot more about hell than He did heaven or the new earth.

[rstrats]

robycop3,

re: ?If heaven & the new earth & new Jerusalem are forever, why not hell??


I just don?t understand why folks want to believe that the fate of the unsaved is to spend eternity in conscious torment when there is no clear scripture to support that belief. I don?t understand why they try to read into scripture something that makes the loving supreme being of the Bible into a heartless monster. I simply do not understand what there is that makes them want to do that when there is no need to. Why do they want to believe that a loving supreme being will horribly torture a person for eternity because during their fleeting few years of life they didn?t satisfy certain requirements? I just don?t understand why they wouldn?t rather believe that a loving supreme being will wipe the person mercifully out of existence because for some reason they didn?t or couldn?t meet these requirements and didn?t develop or have the potential to develop the right character needed to spend eternity with this supreme being. A person is not inherently immortal. Only the supreme being is (1 Timothy 6:16). A person has to put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:54). Romans 2:7 speaks of seeking immortality. Why would that be necessary if everyone already has it? So since a person does not have immortality there is no reason that the loving supreme being HAS to give them immortality so that they can spend a conscious eternity of terrible suffering. Who does that benefit?

[robycop3]

With all due respect, Rstrats, I quoted SCRIPTURE showing the lost will spend eternity in the lake of fire. This is NOT a scare tactic to tryta steer people to Christ, but the WORD OF GOD speaking. And I believe THAT at FACE VALUE over any private interp of it by any man, no matter how well-meaning he may be.

Remember, the Scripture sez "where the beast & false prophet ARE". The beast & the false prophet will be MEN. They & Satan are to be tormented there FOREVER, & there's NOT ONE WORD in Scripture indicating that all the others who are to be cast into that lake will be annihilated.

Like it or not, GOD'S justice is PERFECT. He has set a penalty for sin, and the means to heve our sins forgiven, with the penalty paid in full. that means is BELIEF IN & SUBMISSION TO HIS SON JESUS CHRIST. All who do not accept God's means of cleansing their sins will PAY THE PENALTY THEMSELVES because they didn't accept JESUS' payment of that penalty in their behalf. Just as His saints will receive eternal blessing & happiness, the unsaved 'criminals' will receive eternal PUNISHMENT.