Thursday, June 30, 2016

Overview of the August 2016 Issue of PCG's Philadelphia Trumpet

The August 2016 issue of PCG's recruitment magazine, The Philadelphia Trumpet, is now out.

Let's take a look.


HWA's quote on the cover is from his 1956 booklet, 1975 in Prophecy. These words may be found under the heading, "What Communism Really Is." From 1953 onward HWA taught that Christ was destined to return to Earth in 1975. That booklet is never mentioned by name in this issue.

The editors are listed as Gerald Flurry, Stephen Flurry, Joel Hilliker, Brad MacDonald, Dennis Leap, Robert Morley, Jeremiah Jacques and Phillip Nice.

The issue's circulation is 278,357.

Gerald Flurry has a personal article discussing the massacre in Orlando. He blames Satan and the terrorists and murderers of ISIL even though the available evidence indicates the murderer had little to do with ISIL. It seems likely the murderer had nothing to do with ISIL but simply used them to make himself seem more intimidating.

Richard Palmer has an article which discusses Brexit. Currently PCG (and the other COGs) are ecstatic at Brexit and are trying to exploit this event to insist that HWA was a prophet sent by God who could see the future. This conveniently ignores the many false prophecies he made over the years. In one passage of his last book, Mystery of the Ages, HWA asserted that Christ would return by 2005. PCG has since removed that inconvenient passage.

Richard Palmer also has an article which discusses what may happen within the European Union after Britain's withdrawal. Since the 1930s HWA and his various imitators have insisted that the United States will soon be conquered and taken into slavery by a powerful military force from Europe. At first HWA said Mussolini would accomplish this. Then he changed his mind and made it Hitler. After the victory against Nazism HWA continued to insist that Germany would conquer the United States later. For a time he ludicrously insisted that Hitler had survived and would regain power over Europe.

Gerald Flurry has an article vilifying the Obama Administration. It is insinuated that the current administration is being maliciously influenced by Satan the Devil. It ends with advertising for a booklet by Gerald Flurry which insists that President Obama is under the influence of Satan the Devil.

Jorg Mardian has a little article discussing diabetes.

Andrew Müller has an article scare mongering that China has a long term strategy to gain dominance by 2049. PCG has a long history of scare mongering against China. It is accompanied with a little article remembering what happened under Mao and scare mongering that similar things may soon occur within China.

Jeremiah Jacques has an article remembering three men who died during the initial attempts to stop the radioactive emissions from Chernobyl after its meltdown in 1986. The purpose of this magazine is to get more members for PCG. It is terrible that their names are being exploited on a recruitment magazine like this. Furthermore PCG has a long history of scare mongering against the other nations including Russia.

David Brandon has an accompanying poem dedicated to the three men.

The Infographic discusses the state of the Arab world five years after the Arab Spring. It is presented negatively.

Andrew Müller has an article glorifying Abraham as a scientist and astronomer. Similar things used to be written in Radio/Worldwide COG writings in its earlier days. There is nothing original about these claims in the world of Armstrongism.

Anthony Chibarirwe has an article bemoaning the current situation in Venezuela. PCG's leaders lean far to the right so they have an incentive to exploit the current situation in Venezuela to denigrate the left.

WorldWatch discusses the appointment of Avigdor Lieberman as the Israeli defense minister; bewailing Iraq's advances into Fallujah to defeat the terrorists and murderers of ISIL as a sign of Iran becoming more powerful; China pursuing their border claims in the South China Sea; accusing President Obama of being apologetic in a speech at Hiroshima; proposed changes to the curriculum in Taiwan; claims that Russia is not disarming as many nuclear weapons as they were supposed to; the opening of a train line from India to Russia; claims that the State Department lied about the negotiations with Iran; scare mongering that ISIL had infiltrated Homeland Security citing the murderer in Orlando even though it seems that murderer had nothing to do with ISIL except a few scary words; and a condemnation of the proposed TTIP.

The fact that PCG's leaders have to address the controversy surrounding Lieberman is not a good sign. Max Blumenthal discussed Lieberman at length in his 2013 book, Goliath.

It seems as though PCG hates Iran even more than ISIL. In 1994 Gerald Flurry proclaimed Iran to be the King of the South so PCG has an incentive to demonize Iran in order to "prove" that God is with them. But with ISIL now running amok PCG's leaders are squirming that it is harder to scare monger against Iran while so many people are focused on the terrorists and murderers of ISIL.

President Obama did not apologize at Hiroshima or elsewhere. The accusation that he did an "apology tour" is not true.

SocietyWatch discusses the high proportion of American men who are unemployed or incarcerated; condemnation of concern regarding the shooting of a gorilla to save a child's life; and Islamophobic scare mongering about Australian Muslims being held in prison in Australia.

Joel Hilliker has a little article encouraging people to look after their dwellings.

Joel Hilliker also has a little article complaining that the mass murder in Orlando has made many people pay attention to the issue of hatred against gays.
A Muslim jihadi mass shooting proves the imminent threat of … Christians? ....
Some talking heads bizarrely insisted that blaming [the murderer]’s religion was scapegoating Islam to deflect blame from Christian homophobia.
And gun control but Hilliker does not mention that aspect of the public discussion in this article.

Did Hilliker just admit that other non-Armstrongite churches are also Christian as well? PCG teaches that it is the only true church in all the world and all Christians outside of PCG are deceived by the Devil. In PCG's loaded jargon "Christian" applies only to PCG members and to no other church.

Hilliker also compares gays to a "horrid beast" so soon after those 49 innocent people were murdered.
Back in 1987, two activists laid out a strategy to erase the stigma of homosexuality, called “The Overhauling of Straight America.” They advocated a restrained, gradual approach, keeping the discussion broad and abstract while downplaying actual homosexual behavior. “First let the camel get his nose inside the tent,” they wrote—“only later his unsightly derrière!”

Those men can congratulate themselves. Today the whole horrid beast is in the tent. There’s less and less room for an individual to freely live according to the teachings of the Bible. And anyone unwilling to pretend the camel is just one of the guys is being told to get out.
How utterly shameless.

In a booklet published in 2013, Redefining Family, Joel Hilliker cited that 1987 article and absurdly presented it as though it was some sort of master plan by gays to gain acceptance in mainstream society. In fact such activities had long predated that 1987 article. It is absurd to act as though it was some sort of master plan. On the other hand PCG is a centralized organization. Perhaps he was inadvertently projecting PCG's authoritarian tendencies upon other people.

There are letters.

Here's one letter written by a marine offended at the last issue's cover of Chinese sailors raising the Chinese flag in a manner similar to the famous photo of the marines who raised the American flag at Iwo Jima. It was alluding to China's construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea.
I saw your magazine (July 2016) in the doctor’s office and being a Marine, I was disgusted by your cover. By using the Chinese flag and sailors raising their flag like the Marines did on Iwo Jima during World War II is an insult to the Marines and those who died on that island. I showed this cover to the other patients in the office and the nurses; they all asked me to get rid of this garbage. Of course, you don’t give a hoot if you insult a great moment in American history as long as you sell your magazine.
The recruitment magazine's managing editor, Joel Hilliker responds.
Joel Hilliker, MANAGING EDITOR: I can appreciate and respect your response. Yours was the only response of this nature that we received, and to be honest I wish more Americans reacted along these lines. Certainly I wish more Americans were alarmed and offended over what China is doing in the South China Sea and elsewhere: It is extremely dangerous and hostile to America’s interests. Step by step they are undoing the work that America, including its Marines, has accomplished over the last several generations, and it is leading to more war. Yet most Americans are indifferent. I believe someone with your experience can see better than most people just how much more volatile and dangerous the world is becoming as America pulls back and allows nations like China to fill the gap. The cover image was intended to show at a glance how the world order is being flipped upside down. We did not intend it to be an insult to Marines, although I can see why it can be taken as such and do apologize for the offense. Incidentally, we do not sell our magazine; it is free. We are simply trying to draw people’s attention to what we believe to be the most important trends in the nation and in the world today, as a public service.
It is free in order to attract new members to join PCG. Those who join PCG are required to pay three tithes. Do not be fooled be the fact it is given away. It is given in the hope that a few will start sending money to them and even pay them tithes.

One reader from Canada complains about a social studies teacher saying socialism was in the Bible.
I wish every high school student could read this! I still remember a teacher in social studies even saying that socialism is something that was taken from the Bible narrative!
One reader from Florida inaccurately bewails that the United States had not won a war since World War II. Quite likely this individual has long been a follower of Armstrongism.
What an excellent and sad article. This is no longer a country that can or will win any wars. History is proof of that. No wars have been won since World War II. All the singing of “God Bless America” will not mean a thing if He is not!
One reader from New Zealand complains about PCG's negative view of Donald Trump.
May I ask why you are so anti-Trump please? .... In my very humble opinion, the world and the U.S., for once, has a very strong politically right- minded person running for the presidency. So far, all his planned policies make perfect sense to bring order and stability in a world that is rotten to the core by the new world order leftists and the establishment.
PCG's leaders thought a letter complaining about "new world order leftists" was worth publishing? The phrase "new world order" is often used by persons inclined to view public affairs in a paranoid and conspiracist manner.

Actually until around January 2016 PCG's writers tended to view Trump rather favorably. But for whatever reason around March PCG's leaders turned against him and wrote of him quite unfavorably. However because PCG's leaders lean so far to the right it is inevitable that whenever Trump gets into conflict with the left PCG's leaders will be inclined to support Trump despite their misgivings about him.

At present it is not possible for me to know why PCG's leaders turned against him. Perhaps they perceived that they had no way to influence him if he should gain power. They can't dependably use him. So they do not like him anymore.

And so we see that PCG's leaders have produced yet another issue to convince their followers that God is with PCG and that they know what will soon happen in the future. However PCG's leaders have made many false predictions over the years. They cannot see the future. There is no need to follow them or to give them any money.

Who Are The Palestinians of Gaza?

Currently the State of Israel and Egypt are imposing an economic blockade upon Hamas ruled Gaza. This blockade has been in force since 2007. Who are these people who live in Gaza? What are they like?

We can get some idea of the answer to this question in the book Gaza: Beneath the Bombs by Sharyn Lock with Sarah Irving (2010). Sharyn Lock was a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement who was volunteering as a nurse in Gaza when violence erupted in Operation Cast Lead which lasted from December 27, 2008 till January 18, 2009. Afterwards she provided a first hand testimony of what she saw and experienced during those terrible days. Here is some of what is written in this book about the people who live behind the blockade.


Christmas in Gaza (2008)

Before the war erupted Lock attended a Christmas sermon among the Palestinians of Gaza. Hundreds of the Christians Palestinians of Gaza asked permission from the State of Israel to celebrate Christmas in Bethlehem. Many were denied permission and stuck in Gaza by the State of Israel's decision. The fact that the State of Israel can control their movement shows that the State of Israel continues to occupy the Gaza Strip even after the disengagement of 2005. This denial of movement was mentioned in the following Christmas sermon. The Christmas sermon is described below.
'He is reminding them of their legitimate right to Jerusalem, to Bethlehem, to dignity, life, celebration.' And to any who had given up: 'The Christian who doesn't shout "no" to death and "yes" to life is not Christian. We must reject the injustice, the crimes oppressing us. This isn't about politics, this is about life.' (p. 35.)
Even though the vast majority of the Palestinians of Gaza are Sunni Muslim many were in a festive spirit during that time and shared in the Christmas celebrations.
After church we hurried to the Kabaritis' seaside house, to find that the little girls had set us up a Christmas tree. I have spent a past Christmas in Bethlehem, where the population is actually half Christian, but I though the Muslim folks here in Gaza might not pay much attention. In fact, everyone is wishing us Merry Christmas and many are taking the opportunity to be festive. I guess folks gravitate towards any bright spark in these difficult days. (p. 35.)
Alas, the most terrible bombardment would be unleashed by the State of Israel under the leadership of Prime Minister Olmert just a few days later. While Washington was busy transferring power from President Bush to President Obama the deadly bombardment began.

The Death of a Palestinian Christian in Gaza

This book records many painful moments in which the Palestinians of Gaza were killed during those terrible days. And at least one of the Palestinians who died happened to be a Christian.
Our local colleague ... told us of a teenager from his youth group who died yesterday. A 16 year old Christian girl, Christine Wade'a al Turk, died of a heart attack brought on by a severe asthma attack, resulting from the stress of the ongoing strikes. (p. 55.)
Later the author meets with a friend who relates to the author what happened to her during the bombardment. While relaying her account she also mentions the same young woman who died.
I lost my friend from the WhyNot project--Christine al-Turki. She was really dear to me, she was one of the sweetest girls, kind of smooth and soft. Her parents only had her and her brother, so they took such care of her, and gave her so many opportunities, she took lots of classes and things... she was literally scared to death. She got asthma and then a heart attack, from fear. It was Friday, the day she died. I began to think it would happen to me too, because I was scared to death too. I was so affected by that, my family tried to be very close to me to help me. I looked on Facebook, her friends made an online group for her, and the photos of her after she died affected me so much; one of her father kissing her goodbye for the last time. I couldn't believe she would never be back. (p. 115.)
How terrible war is. The best way to help is this terrible situation is to advocate for peace.

Israeli Military Attack on Palestinian Police Officers

One of the first of many terrible happenings described herein was an air strike on a police station. Hamas' armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, is clandestine in nature so it is quite doubtful that this bombardment would have done anything to weaken Hamas' armed wing.
Vik later ascertained that the F16 jets had targeted the port police station, and also the 'President Palace' nearby, killing about 20. ... Several of the police stations that were targeted were having training days ... The many policemen killed and injured just now are government employees-they deal with traffic offenses, petty crime. Women and children are dead. The police station nearest us was right by a school. (pp. 37-38.) 
Skepticism About Claims that Hamas Uses Human Shields

It is sometimes asserted that Palestinians use themselves as human shields just to make the State of Israel look bad. However this book presents reasons to be skeptical of this assertion.

The following discusses the bombing of a school operated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert alleged to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, who was visiting Israel at the time, that Palestinian fighters were using the Rimal compound as a base for attacks. UNRWA's John Ging 'denied that any Palestinian fighters had entered the compound, let alone fired from it.' (p. 72.)
The following discusses assertions that Hamas exploits ambulances for transportation purposes.
Amnesty International stated: 'The Israeli army media briefing of 22 April, in the section on "incidents involving shooting at medical facilities, buildings, vehicles, and crews", contends that "Hamas systematically used medical facilities, vehicles and and uniforms as cover for terrorist operations", but provides no evidence for even one such case.' Amnesty said that it did not exclude the possibility of such abuses, but stressed that no evidence had been provided and that the burden of proof fell on the Israeli authorities. (p. 75.) 
The Generosity of the Palestinians of Gaza

Among the COGs they constantly portray the Palestinians in the worst possible light. By fixating their attention so assiduously upon political turmoil it obscures the fact that many Palestinians are quite generous and friendly to guests as Lock testifies below in her first hand testimony.
I want to hear more but it's at this point that, in true Palestinian style, some of the others start getting distressed that there is hot food next door and I am not there eating it. It isn't good enough that I can come and have some later, or that some can be put aside for me; it doesn't matter that this is an important conversation, I am A Guest And I Must Eat It Now. (p. 95.)

Such small girls. 'Are they terrorists?' asks their mother. 'My family cares about all people. We don't mind if they are from a different country or a different religion. We think all people are the same. That's what we believe.' (pp. 142-143.)

I tried to give short notice of my last visits, in the hope of avoiding gifts. But you can't stop Palestinians giving you things, because if they didn't (or can't afford to) buy something for you, then they will raid their own belongings for something they think you might like. (p. 204.)
The COGs' fixation on politics ignores the humanity of the Palestinians of Gaza. Why is it that the COGs have miserably failed to mention these things about the Palestinians of Gaza?

A ceasefire agreement was made just before President Obama assumed office. A few months later elections were held in the State of Israel and power was transferred to a Likud led government.

An American's Testimony

Another testimony regarding the hospitality that is offered by individuals among the Palestinians of Gaza comes from an American who lives in Gaza.


During the 2014 war American journalist Max Blumenthal visited Gaza to investigate what was happening. While there he met an American anti-war activist who had moved into Gaza earlier that year.
"Everywhere I go here," he remarked with a look of wonder, "I make new friends and people invite me into their homes for dinner. I've never met more beautiful, welcoming people." (Max Blumenthal, The 51 Day War, 2015, Chapter 11.)
The Palestinians Need Peace

The blockade was imposed on Gaza partly in the hope that it would compel the Palestinians of Gaza to rise up against Hamas and overthrow them. However after so many years this has failed to happen. In this sense the blockade is a miserable failure.

Furthermore the lack of normalized relations between Hamas ruled Gaza on the one hand and the State of Israel and Egypt on the other hand make it much more likely that war will eventually break out again. The blockade itself makes renewed war practically certain to occur.

The blockade needs to be abolished. These Palestinians of Gaza deserve to live in peace and safety with their neighbors.

The State of Israel has a strong military. The leaders of the State of Israel are quite capable of finding ways to counteract Hamas without this blockade. Even during the worst days of the second intifada (2000-5) a blockade such as the present one was never imposed upon Gaza.  

It is terrible that the COGs insist that violence such as this is fated to occur until Christ returns. Instead the COGs should advocate for peace. There will never be peace until people of conscience speak out about these painful events.

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Fake Predictions Allegedly Made by HWA in the 1950s

Back in 2000 when I first started reading LCG's writings I saw this astonishing claim that they had predicted the reunification of Germany as early as 1952.
It was an understanding of [biblical] prophecies that led Herbert W. Armstrong, our predecessor in this Work of God, to write in the April 1952 Plain Truth, at a time when the Russian boot seemed permanently planted on eastern Europe, that East Germany would be reunited with West Germany and that Russia would "be forced to relinquish her control over Hungary, Czechoslovakia and parts of Austria" (p. 16). (John Ogwyn, 'NATO at 50--Historic Past, Hopeful Future?', Tomorrow's World, May-June 1999, p. 11.)
I saw this Ogwyn repeat this claim in his booklet, The Beast of Revelation.
As far back as the April 1952 Plain Truth, Herbert W. Armstrong had written that East Germany would be returned to West Germany and that Russia “will be forced to relinquish her control over Hungary, Czechoslovakia and parts of Austria” (p. 16). In 1956, following Russia’s invasion of Hungary, when it seemed that the “Iron Curtain” had inexorably fallen on the nations of eastern Europe, Mr. Armstrong wrote: “The way is being prepared for a colossal third force in world politics—a European Federation of Nations more powerful than either Russia or the United States!… We have shown years in advance what would happen to Russia’s ill-fated Empire in Eastern Europe” (Plain Truth, December 1956, p. 3). (John Ogwyn, 'The Beast of Revelation', p. 2.)
(Note: This is from the first edition which incorrectly identified the first article as coming from The Plain Truth instead of The Good News. LCG have now corrected this. Although the erroneous citation may still be seen in Ogwyn's 1999 article cited above.)

I believed him. I was amazed that these people had the power to see the future like that just by properly understanding the Bible. I believed that God was working with LCG.

Later as I discovered that HWA's writings had gone online I was somewhat surprised to see that there was no April 1952 issue of The Plain Truth listed.

Later it was mentioned in the pages of LCG's recruitment magazine, Tomorrow's World, that the April 1952 quote was actually from the Good News magazine. LCG corrected this in their writings.

In late 2008 I finally woke up and realized that I had been horribly mislead. Information that revealed the true nature of those quotes had not been explained to me. I realized that HWA was never a man used by God. I realized that he was a false prophet. There was no need for me to believe or fear that his words just might come true. They will not.

And now Exit and Support Network has a very fascinating article about these quotes that helped cause me to be deceptively recruited into believing in Armstrongism.

Turns out the 1952 quote was not even from HWA in the first place. It was actually written by Herman Hoeh, a man who remained with WCG after the Tkach changes.

Furthermore the 1956 article is anonymously written. In neither article is HWA listed as the author.

Ogwyn wrote "Herbert W. Armstrong had written" certain words in the April 1952 issue. In fact he was quoting Herman Hoeh's article.

Ogwyn wrote "Mr. Armstrong wrote" certain words he quoted from a December 1956 article. In fact that article was anonymously written. No author was listed. Ogwyn could not prove that HWA wrote those words. HWA, Hoeh and Roderick Meredith are listed as the editors of that issue but it is not possible for us to know who wrote what in that anonymous article.

And the ESN article also wonders why is it that this quote from Good News is incorrectly attributed to The Plain Truth? Perhaps it is partly because even as early as 1956 that quote was being incorrectly attributed to The Plain Truth. This may be seen in the December 1956 article that Ogwyn quoted.
Here is what we said nearly 5 years ago about the very nations that are now rebelling in Eastern Europe. From page 16 of the April 1952 PLAIN TRUTH: “Russia may give East Germany back to the Germans AND WILL BE FORCED TO RELINQUISH HER CONTROL OVER HUNGARY, CZECHOSLOVAKIA AND PARTS OF AUSTRIA to complete the ten nation union.”

This prophecy is already happening. RUSSIA HAS ALREADY WITHDRAWN HER TROOPS FROM HER PART OF AUSTRIA. Open revolt against Communist control has flared in Hungary, exactly as we said it would!

Russia emerged the temporary victor in Hungary because we failed to aid the rebels as we had promised them over Radio Free Europe. Many Hungarians hate us for not aiding them. They now see their only hope is a strong, rearmed, militaristic Germany within a united Europe-a third force against East and West! ("FORETOLD 22 Years ago," Plain Truth, December 1956, p. 3.)
Turns out the 1956 article that is presented by Ogwyn as an astonishing act of prediction spends its time talking about a wave of unrest in Communist Eastern Europe culminating with the then recently suppressed Hungarian uprising. It is insinuated that this wave of unrest would lead to the creation of the European Beast Power but of course that did not happen. The anonymously written article boasts about earlier predictions, even as early as twenty-two years earlier to 1934, the first year The Plain Truth was published.

The 1956 article contains the following boast about a 1950 article.
As far back as August 1950, we said: “But before Russia is ready . . . the world will be stunned to see Germany emerge suddenly in a power never equaled by Hitler-by a union of ten nations in Europe, probably including some at present puppets of Russia-in a gigantic United States of Europe. This definitely is prophesied!" (p. 3.)
One wonder why Ogwyn did not use a quote from 1950 to make his claims about HWA look even better?

The 1956 article then cites HWA's writings from 1934 conveniently ignoring how HWA got his dire predictions about Mussolini and Hitler completely wrong.
And in August 1934 over 22 years ago-Mr. Armstrong wrote (on page 6) of “the Roman Empire . . . a ‘United States of Europe,’ or federation of ten European nations within the bounds of the old Roman Empire.” 
Mussolini and Hitler began this union, but God cut their work short in order that this final gospel warning of “The WORLD TOMORROW” might be broadcast as a world-wide witness before the final league of ten fascist European nations is formed!

Here is the earliest record of them all -from the June-July 1934 issue of The PLAIN TRUTH. From the article entitled “What Is Going to Happen!” we quote: “Scripture prophesies TWO GREAT MILITARY POWERS to arise in the last days-one the revival of the Roman Empire by a federation of ten nations in the territory of the ancient Roman Empire; the other, ‘Gog,’ or Russia, with her allies . . . possibly China or Japan.”

China has become Russia’s ally. China will not revolt as the nations in Eastern Europe are currently doing!

Here is the testimony of over 22 years. (pp. 3-4.)
Ironically China indeed revolted against Moscow in the 1960s. HWA's Radio Church of God once again made yet another false prophecy.

Oh, what nonsense have been presented in LCG's recruitment writings. Two articles falsely attributed to HWA. The 1956 is incorrectly presented as a prescient prophecy of Germany's reunification when the whole point of it was to exploit the wave of unrest in Eastern Europe to insist that a unified, German led Europe would arise out of that wave of unrest. At first the 1952 article was incorrectly presented as though it was from the Plain Truth.

Truly it is nonsense upon nonsense. There is no need to fear that anyone within the COGs can see the future. They cannot. Their boasts do not withstand scrutiny. They are but false prophets.

State of Israel Cancels Hannibal Directive

Israel has canceled the Hannibal directive. I first heard of it reading The 51 Day War by Max Blumenthal. It was saddening to learn of it.

Of course there are many other problems that need to be solved before peace may come. May peace soon come to the Holy Land.

Horror in Istanbul

Terrorists have attacked Istanbul airport murdering 34 innocent people. May those responsible for this atrocity be caught and brought to justice.

Monday, June 27, 2016

52 False Prophecies by PCG

Since PCG is now claiming that the Brexit was some sort of fulfilled prophecy it is worth remembering the many times they have produced false prophecies. Below is a list of 52 false prophecies made by PCG since their founding in 1989.

The following (with one small rewrite and a different title) is a repost of a previous post originally posted on September 26, 2015.

Note: Some quotes refer to earlier editions of various PCG booklets and those may differ from current versions.

*******
But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him. (Deuteronomy 18:20-22.)
Gerald Flurry and his Philadelphia Church of God claim to be able to know what will happen in the future because (they say) God only reveals the true meaning of the Bible to PCG alone. In 1999 Gerald Flurry even proclaimed himself to be "That Prophet."

But the Bible reveals that if a man presuming to speak for God should make a prediction and it does not happen then such a man has spoken presumptuously and the God of the Bible commands people not to be afraid of such a man. To make false predictions disqualifies one from being a prophet of God.

Have Gerald Flurry and those with him in PCG made false predictions that did not come to pass?

1. Tkach's WCG may greatly expand in membership because of the changes. (Gerald Flurry, Malachi's Message.)
The Laodicean Church [Tkach's WCG] may be growing in membership until Christ returns, but does that always mean it is doing God’s will? No! We can’t use that criterion to judge. Other churches have millions of members and are not God’s churches. Actually, the Work of God could be declining in numbers and still do a wonderful job for God. So we have to look deeper than a growing membership. (Gerald Flurry, Malachi's Message, 1990, 1995, 1999, 2004, 2008, Chapter 3, p. 36.)
2. Tkach is the Man of Sin of II Thessalonians 2. (Gerald Flurry, Malachi's Message.)

Herbert W. Armstrong taught that the man of sin mentioned in II Thessalonians 2 was the final Pope. HWA taught that the final Pope would be granted by Satan the power to perform miracles such as calling fire from the sky. But Gerald Flurry changed this doctrine to say that II Thessalonians 2 was talking about the Tkach changes and that the man of sin was Tkach. Of course this doctrine is nonsense.

3. Tkach's WCG will conspire with American authorities to suppress PCG.
Will there be another direct confrontation between the Laodicean and Philadelphian churches in the near future? Here is why that could easily happen. The leaders in the United States and Britain will know that the Philadelphia Church of God came out of the Worldwide Church of God. The leaders of the nations could enlist the WCG in an attempt to stop the PCG’s message. Amos says “the land is not able to bear all his words”! This is a prophecy about the impact our message will have on modern Israel and the Laodicean Church! (Gerald Flurry, The Lion Has Roared, 1991, 1992, 2006, 2011, Chapter 4, p. 38.)
4. Ambassador Auditorium might be destroyed by an earthquake as a sign of (PCG's) God's anger at the Tkach changes.
Am I saying that what used to be God’s physical house [Ambassador Auditorium] in Pasadena is going to be destroyed? No, I am not. God only knows. But can we rule out that possibility in view of Amos 9:1 and other verses? I don’t think so. A shaking of God’s former physical house could also shake the spiritual temple, or Laodicean Church.
The city of Laodicea in the first century was repeatedly struck by earthquakes. So God’s Laodicean saints had that problem to cope with then. And the first-century Laodicean Church was only a type of the end-time Laodiceans. Only God knows the details of what is to occur. But this much we do know: Total destruction is coming upon the Laodicean Church! God’s Philadelphia Church must warn the Laodiceans and pray that they will repent! (Gerald Flurry, The Lion Has Roared, 1991, 1992, 2006, 2011, Chapter 4, p. 31.)
5. PCG's warning to America will "be a very short work." (1992).
HWA thought the end of Israel would occur in his lifetime. He was EXACTLY right about the prophecies, but his timing was off a few years. (Gerald Flurry, The Ezekiel Watchman, 1992, Chapter 1, p. 2.)

This warning to all Israel by the Philadelphians is probably going to be a very short work. Israel is collapsing very fast and their enemies are rising equally fast. (Gerald Flurry, The Ezekiel Watchman, 1992, Chapter 1, p. 3.)
6. PCG's Gerald Flurry mocking WCG ministers for saying the second coming could be within 30-40 years as "tragically wrong!"
They [WCG members] are being told it will be 30-40 years [2023-2033] before these prophecies will be fulfilled. And they are tragically wrong! The book of Ezekiel will illustrate that truth as we go along. (Gerald Flurry, The Ezekiel Watchman, 1992, p. 23.)
It is now twenty-seven years since these words were published. This is also a false prophecy in itself.

7. PCG saying that "[t]here is very little time left" in 1993.
There is very little time left. We are getting close to the time of the two witnesses (v. 3). (Gerald Flurry, Lamentations and the End-Time Laodiceans, 1993, p. 6.)
8. Reading and believing Malachi's Message will save you from the Great Tribulation.
Jesus Christ inspired the writing of Malachi’s Message to God’s Church Today! ... Anyone who reads Malachi’s Message and heeds its warnings will be spared from the events of the Great Tribulation. If YOU reject it now—you will have to accept it in the Tribulation or lose YOUR SALVATION! IT IS THAT SERIOUS! All of God’s people will have to recognize that Malachi’s Message came from God (Mal. 2:4). There is still time to repent before the Tribulation. (Gerald Flurry, Lamentations and the End-Time Laodiceans, 1993, p. 35.)
Malachi's Message is a false book. It cannot save anyone. Gerald Flurry cannot save anyone. Gerald Flurry cannot see into the future.

It is widely known that many of the ideas within his booklet Malachi's Message, which is so often cited by PCG to justify following Gerald Flurry instead of the many other COG splinter groups, were plagiarized from The Letter to Laodicea by Jules Dervaes, written December 1986-January 1988. It was sent to 237 WCG ministers including Gerald Flurry and John Amos. On September 26, 1990 Jules Dervaes even sent a letter to Gerald Flurry in which he denounces Malachi's Message as "a direct and clear plagiarism" of his work.  

9. There is "little or nothing ... in the northern heavens" because of Lucifer's pre-Adamite rebellion.
God intended Lucifer to go to other planets after His work was established on Earth. But Lucifer would not wait. The only place astronomers can find little or nothing is in the northern heavens. That is in the direction of God’s throne, and almost everything in that direction was destroyed WHEN SATAN FOUGHT WITH GOD OVER GOVERNMENT! There was a violent, destructive war. And SATAN IS STILL FIGHTING AGAINST GOD’S GOVERNMENT TODAY! (Gerald Flurry, God's Family Government, 1993, p. 26.)
How can anyone just listen to such nonsense and just accept it and refuse to point out that there is nonsense?

10. PCG is "intensely" persecuted by Satan.
Some in the world try to label the PCG a cult. Actually, we are the only church doing God’s Work on this Earth! That can easily be proven from the Bible. ...  Only we understand what Satan is planning and doing. That is why Satan hates us most of all and persecutes us so intensely. (Gerald Flurry, Isaiah's End-Time Vision, 2013 version, p. 41.)
11. PCG saying the US economy is about to collapse in 1993.
Bank consultant Ed Furash said, "Everything is going to be up in the air until after the inauguration [of President Clinton]." Then he said, "We're going to have a lot of dead banks that need to be taken over!" The U.S. ECONOMY is in serious trouble and that means trouble for for the whole western world! (Gerald Flurry, Jeremiah: Prophet of Doom--or Hope?, 1993, p. 3.)
12. PCG saying Germany and Japan will soon get nuclear weapons in 1993.
Tactical nuclear weapons have been stolen form the Soviet arsenal and sold to nations in the Middle East. Soon Germany and Japan will also have nuclear weapons. (Gerald Flurry, Jeremiah: Prophet of Doom--or Hope?, 1993, p. 31.) 
13. PCG saying Algeria would soon fall to Islamists in 1994.
In the December 1994 Trumpet, Mr. Flurry explained the significance of verse 42 thus: “Egypt is conquered by the king of the north probably because of an alliance with the king of the south.” The king of the south, Mr. Flurry believed, would be radical Islam, headed by Iran. This Iranian-led Islamic movement, he wrote, was already “very strong in Egypt and Algeria.” He went on to state: “This religion will probably take control of both countries very soon.”  (Prophecy Comes Alive in Egypt!, The Philadelphia Trumpet, April 2011.)
Actually the military led government of Algeria was able to eventually render the rebels powerless and re-establish control over Algeria. Gerald Flurry was wrong. 

14. PCG saying Turkey will soon be annihilated forever.
Teman was the grandson of Esau (Gen. 36:1-11). Obadiah refers to him as “O Teman.” This is how the Turks got the name Ottoman. The Ottoman Turks ruled the Middle East for about 400 years. That rule ended just before World War II.
It is very likely that the name of Esau, or Turkey, is going to be cut off forever because of their treachery to the nations of Jacob. (Gerald Flurry, Obadiah, p. 10. Page 11 in the current version.)
Turkey is not Edom. The Turkish language is a Turkic language totally unrelated to Hebrew or Arabic. Other related Turkic languages include Azerbaijani, Uzbek, Kazakh, Uyghur, Turkmen, Tatar and Kyrgyz. Are those related peoples all Edomites? If the Turks are really related to Israel as common descendants of Isaac why do they speak a completely unrelated language?

Also the word Ottoman is not derived from "O Teman." It refers to Osman, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. And that name itself is derived from the Arabic name Uthman.

15. PCG's prophesied of doom and gloom in 1995.
Natural disasters have intensified mightily since Mr. Armstrong died. There have been earthquakes, floods, droughts and fires. There have also been an alarming increase in family break-down, race problems and out-of-control crime. One journalist said 1993 was the "SCARIEST YEAR IN AMERICAN HISTORY" (because of the floods, fire, etc.) That is also true of the British people. Already South Africa has lost control of its country. That catastrophe and a lot more going to happen to America and Britain, if we don't heed God's Word. (Gerald Flurry, The Little Book, 1995 edition, p. 6.)
Why does God mention the times of the Gentiles and not the Tribulation? It’s probably because it helps us to see the shortness of time better. The Gentiles are rising inside and outside the nations of Israel—very fast! That is easy for us to see. Israel is collapsing from within and is about to be attacked from without. (Gerald Flurry, The Little Book, 1995 edition, p. 10.)
16. PCG saying now is "the gun lap today."
When God gives us the full revelation from Joel, it is near “at hand.” We are being plunged into the preliminaries of the book of Joel now! We are in the gun lap today. World conditions are going to get vastly worse—quickly! (Gerald Flurry, The Prophet Joel, 1995, 2003, 2004, 2006, p. 8.)
17. PCG saying "there is only going to be a single, brief space of time" between HWA's death (1986) and Christ's return.
What is God telling us here? He is showing that after Mr. Armstrong passes from the scene and just before Jesus Christ returns, THERE IS ONLY GOING TO BE A SINGLE, BRIEF SPACE OF TIME. Then God is going to shake the heavens, the Earth, the sea and the dry land. In other words, the PCG only has a very brief space of time to complete its work. There is only a brief span of time for God to determine who is Philadelphian and who is Laodicean. There is only a little time to determine who will be in Ezekiel’s temple in the World Tomorrow. Then God says He is going to fill “this house” with glory. (Gerald Flurry, Haggai, 1995, 2004, pp. 29-30.)
So when we saw the gospel being preached around the world, we should have known it was the end time. But when that work ceased, we were in the very end of the end time!  (Gerald Flurry, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, 1995, 2001, 2005, p. 6.)
When the gospel stops going around the world, we can begin to watch for specific signs—like God’s Church being attacked by armies of demons, the rapid collapse of Israel, the rise of the abomination of desolation, nuclear power out of control and other serious signs we’ll mention later. (Gerald Flurry, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, 1995, 2001, 2005, Chapter 1, p. 7.)

We have to deeply understand the urgency of the times we live in! There has never been a time like this! Events are moving along with lightning speed. It seems as though major prophecies are fulfilled virtually every week. God says that time is quickly running out. World crisis is dangerously close and speeding very quickly! Are we heeding this warning? (Gerald Flurry, Zephaniah's Day of the Lord, p. 13.)

For God’s faithful people, this prophecy should help us realize what a critical time this is for God’s Work. God’s people must take advantage of this little window of opportunity. We have to perform great works now, before it’s too late. When I study the book of Zephaniah deeply, I realize that I’m not as urgent as the spirit of this message! I believe that none of God’s people are! We must realize and keep in our minds where we are in prophecy and how urgent these times are. We must make sure to do all we can before, before, before, before the Day of the Lord or the time of tribulation begins for Israel. (Gerald Flurry, Zephaniah's Day of the Lord, 1995, 2000, p. 16.)
18. PCG saying the peace process between the State of Israel and the Palestinians is the deadly wound which will cause the State of Israel to be conquered by the future European Empire.
Is the 1993 peace pact with the Arabs the Israeli wound that God refers to in Hosea 5:13? There would have been no peace pact if Judah would have trusted God instead of men. (Gerald Flurry, Hosea and God's Adulterous Church, 1996, p. 26.)
19. PCG saying Britain is to endure the Great Tribulation for trusting in industrial expertise.
Ephraim’s great fault is its idolatry. The word “workman” means artisan or craftsman. It is well known that England excels in technical ability. One of their greatest achievements has been the development of nuclear energy for domestic and military purposes. Could this be Britain’s calf? Could Britain think their nuclear power will get them through another war? ...
England relies on its “craftsmen” for protection rather than God. They worship their technical ability—they “kiss the calves.” ...
Britain will soon become ashamed of its “craftsman” or experts. Do you really want to rely upon the experts? No human being or idol can ever deliver what a human being wants. Do we have some idol that sits between us and God? If we do, God wants us to get rid of it now. (Gerald Flurry, Hosea and God's Adulterous Church, 1996, pp. 39-40.)
20. PCG saying Algeria will soon transform into a radical Islamic state like Iran.
Today I believe that much of the king of the south’s land area will be south of Jerusalem, but not all. For example, Sudan is already in the radical Islamic camp. Algeria may be there very soon. But all of the king of the south’s land area is south of the end-time king of the north. (Gerald Flurry, The King of the South, 1996, 2001, 2003, p. 3.)
21. PCG insinuating that Khomeini was behind Anwar Sadat's assassination.
In 1981, Mike Wallace of the television program 60 Minutes interviewed Ayatollah Khomeini (who had come to power only two years before). He told the ayatollah that Sadat had called him a “lunatic.”
Almost immediately afterward, within just days, President Sadat was assassinated!
That is the kind of power the leader of radical Islam has! (The King of the South, 1996, 2001, 2003, p. 7.)
22. PCG saying war is about to explode in the Middle East.
Middle East peace treaties dominate the news—as all kinds of peace treaties did just before World War II began! It is just another major sign that WAR IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE IN THE MIDDLE EAST! And it will lead to World War III. (Gerald Flurry, The King of the South, 1996, 2001, 2003, p. 14.)
23. PCG saying Christ to return by 2018 at the latest.
Here we see a small group of people with a God-sized message. The whole world should heed today. But most people won’t become converted until Christ returns—which is probably within 10 to 15 years or less. (The King of the South, 1996, 2001, 2003, p. 43.)
24. PCG saying Christ is almost certain to return by 2023.
This statement shows that this is an end-time prophecy. Satan was cast down just a “short time” before Jesus Christ returns to this Earth and kicks Satan off his throne! ... That is the spectacular, joyfully good news. Christ is about to return to this Earth and stop all of the hatred, racism, violence and war that is caused by Satan’s influence. Everything is set for a new government to be in place on Earth very shortly—almost certainly in less than a decade. (Gerald Flurry, America Under Attack, 2013, p. 6.)
25. Gerald Flurry saying "America is bankrupt" in 1997.
“What will it take to awaken our people? America is bankrupt. Our people just don’t know it yet.”—Co-Worker Letter, July 22, 1997 (As quoted in the May 30, 2009 issue of The Trumpet Weekly, p. 5.)
(Flurry was wrong then and is wrong now. See #34 below.)

26. There will be a peace treaty between Germany and Russia which will allow Germany to conquer America and Britain without fear of Russian interference.
“The presence of a deal between [Germany and Russia] is not a sign of peace. Like the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact … it is a sign of exactly the opposite. Both of these nations are looking to secure their shared border—so they can pursue their imperialistic aims elsewhere! It is a precursor to war! That is the way they operate! And the U.S. has no clue.”
—Gerald Flurry, Trumpet, October 1998 (Quoted in Trumpet Weekly, October 9, 2010, p. 6.)
“The way it’s looking, don’t be surprised if America arrives in Lisbon to learn that Germany, France and Russia have hatched a plan to redefine NATO into a distinctly European, pro-Russian organization!”
—theTrumpet.com, October 21 (Quoted in The Trumpet Weekly, October 30, 2010, p 6.)
Instead Putin waded into a war in eastern Ukraine in 2014 that has led to Europe imposing sanctions on Russia just when the price of oil went down.

27. Post-apartheid South Africa will impose an economic blockade on the West as severe as OPEC's oil embargo of 1973-4.
A well-orchestrated campaign of disinformation, propaganda and scurrilous slander has been waged against the South African nation by the combined forces of government officials (both within and without South Africa), the liberal press, leftist church authorities and the United Nations. The catch phrase of all has been apartheid—the policy of separate development pursued by the South African government since 1948. What escapes most commentators’ attention is the reality that the whole world has been hoodwinked by this disinformation campaign. Most have expressed a great, global, emotive, self-righteous outcry against the imputed unfairness of the apartheid system. Many people are gullibly being led by the nose to endorse a power transfer that PORTENDS A FUTURE MINERAL AND METALS BLACKMAIL AGAINST THE COMBINED WESTERN ECONOMIES at least equivalent to that imposed by the OPEC oil cartel in a previous decade! (Ron Fraser, South Africa in Prophecy, 1997, p. 4.) 
Eighteen years later nothing of the sort has occurred.

28. PCG predicting that Shimon Peres will return to power in Israel to create an self defeating agreement with the Palestinians that will lead to the State of Israel's conquest by Europe.

Peres is also slurred as being a traitor and a "foxy old socialist" who "is set to worm his way back into" a position of prominence to make such an agreement with the Palestinians (which PCG insists will somehow lead to the State of Israel to be conquered by Europe).
Sources within both the U.S. and Israeli administrations claim that America is intent on seeing Netanyahu removed from office so that he might be the scapegoat for the failed peace process. Meanwhile, the man whom Arafat has called his friend, Shimon Peres, waits in the wings, biding his time. (Israeli Pullback Continues, May 1998.)  
But most significantly, it was Shimon Peres who in 1993 brokered the deal with Pope John Paul II to hand over sovereignty of Jerusalem’s Old City to the Vatican. Although we have observed enough snippets of intelligence here and there to build the picture, author Barry Chamish’s research has done much to expose this traitorous act. ...
Ariel Sharon may be the elected leader of Israel, but watch for one foxy old socialist to slide into the picture as the power behind the throne in a unity government between Likud and Labor. Once again Shimon Peres is set to worm his way back into prime focus as the mediator between Israel, the PLO, the EU and the Vatican. (Ron Fraser, Muscling into the Mideast, March-April 2001.)
It would appear that the PCG leadership loathes Peres. Ron Fraser even dehumanizes him by comparing him to a worm. But nevertheless in all this time Peres has not returned to power as prime minister in the State of Israel. 

29. Sexual behavior disapproved by PCG is responsible for "giving birth" to HIV/AIDS.
The current generation of foreign policy formulators and administrators in the West, particularly in the present British and American administrations, is the product of a left-wing, socialist-engineered education system that had its genesis in the 1960s (though its true origins may be traced to the Marxist-Leninist thought engendered by the fathers of socialism in the early 1900s). Socialist philosophy has always had particular appeal to the intelligentsia. Often described as the “baby-boom generation,” the post-World War II generation, which had their minds bent by German rationalist thought, tends to predicate all analyses, judgments and conclusions on godless evolutionary theory, based on the overall assumption that there are no absolutes.
In general terms, to this generation all of the values, mores, honorable traditions—even documented history of past events—are held up to question. This approach to subjective analysis is fundamentally sourced at a basic and false assumption—that the theory of relativity applies not just in the arena of physical sciences. By extension it is assumed that it generally may be applied to human behavior—religion, moral standards, ethics and human values. Thus we have the concept of “moral relativity,” which spawned the “new morality” of the 1960s, giving birth to a new and uncontrollable communicable disease—AIDS. (Ron Fraser, What's Behind the Crisis in Foreign Relations?, The Philadelphia Trumpet, May 1999, p. 3.)
Of course this is nonsense. No human gave birth to HIV/AIDS. It is an offshoot of another virus, SIV, which infects one species of ape, namely the Central Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes). The first cross species infection appears to have been with a cut hunter somewhere in rural central Africa, possibly in the Congo, around 1921 (1908-1933).

Bizarrely enough the mass murdering terrorist Osama bin Laden also tried to falsely blame other human beings for producing HIV/AIDS. In his case he decided to blame Americans.
And because of all this, you [Americans] have been described in history as a nation that spreads diseases that were unknown to man in the past. Go ahead and boast to the nations of man, that you brought them AIDS as a Satanic American Invention. (Osama bin Laden, To the Americans, October 7, 2002, as quoted in Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama bin Laden, 2005, p. 168.)
Imagine that. PCG saying something Osama bin Laden would say.

30. PCG saying the United States is becoming isolationist. (They said this just before 9/11.)
We can’t afford the pacifist attitude we had before World War-II [sic] and survive nationally. Yet our pacifist attitude today is far worse than it was then. (Gerald Flurry, Winston S. Churchill: The Watchman, 1999, 2002, p. 2.)
Our people in Britain and America lack the will to even sacrifice a few soldiers’ lives to fight a ground war. Our generals know that we lack the will to win any hard-fought battle—even if it directly relates to our own freedom. For example, we had to be bombed into World War II. Even one of the most diabolical leaders in history, Adolf Hitler, could not rouse us to fight until we were bombed by Japan. And we are much more isolationist today. We are not prepared to die to defend our security, as we were in our past. This is the supreme sign that our will has been broken—and that our republic cannot stand.We must make very radical changes to save our country. (Gerald Flurry, No Freedom Without Law, 2001, p. 24.)
A few voices within the United States have been raised in concern over this apparent new American isolationism. (Ron Fraser, Is America Becoming Isolationist?, The Philadelphia Trumpet, September-October 2001.)
31. PCG predicting Serbia will be fast tracked into EU membership.
Watch for Yugoslavia to be pushed now, by events controlled from Brussels, into the fast lane to EU membership. (Ron Fraser, Yugoslavia Comes in From the Cold, The Philadelphia Trumpet, December 2000.) 
In 2000 Yugoslavia referred to what are now Serbia and Montenegro. Today Serbia is still not in the European Union.

32. PCG predicting Macedonia would be partitioned by the EU (2001).
Cleverly, the EU has let NATO do all the grunt work in Macedonia, with the result that if things go wrong, the egg will be, once again, as in Kosovo, all over NATO’s face, and a classic opening will ensue, at the right moment, for the new EU rapid reaction force to deploy and to “enforce” the “peace” in that ethnically and politically divided country. ...
By dividing Macedonia into separate Albanian and Macedonian enclaves, as U.S. think tank Stratfor points out, NATO will have been the unwitting accomplice in achieving the Albanian rebels’ goal. (Ron Fraser, The Final Piece Fall Into Place, Philadelphia Trumpet, August 2001.)
Macedonia has not been partitioned. Once again PCG is wrong.

33. Gerald Flurry saying America and Britain have reached the point of no return in 2008.
If you study the biblical prophets, there came a point when their warnings no longer spoke about repentance. They were simply bold statements of fact—spoken as a witness against those peoples who had rejected God. I strongly believe our nations today—particularly the United States and Britain, modern descendants of the biblical nation of Israel—have passed the point of no return. The hope of their turning to God during this age has been eclipsed by the magnitude of their rebellion!
This indicates that time is indeed very short before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The increase in catastrophic events shows God strengthening His correction. Thus, I believe God simultaneously wants to strengthen and intensify the prophetic warning—in the hopes of reaching those individuals who exhibit a teachable attitude and a willingness to accept His guidance. (Gerald Flurry, How This Magazine is About to Change, The Philadelphia Trumpet, September 2008.)
34. PCG saying the US "dollar is doomed" in 2008 and afterwards.
People are so afraid of the current Wall Street meltdown that they are willing to purchase federal bonds that pay interest rates far less than the rate of inflation. In other words, these people know that they will technically lose money by purchasing treasuries, but are willing to take the loss in order to avoid the possibility of an even greater loss in other investments like U.S. businesses, stocks, and the real-estate market.
Unfortunately, this time the bond market will not prove to be a safe haven. The structural problems in the U.S. economy and America’s massive debt load mean that the dollar is doomed too. (Robert Morley, Trumpet Weekly, December 6, 2008 issue, p. 10.)
But it won’t end there. The whole nation—head to toe—is sickened with debt. Federal, state, municipal, corporate, personal debt; America is maxed out. Trillions upon trillions. That debt is coming due! (Robert Morley, "How America Killed Itself", Trumpet Weekly, December 20, 2008 issue, p. 10.)
The government is broke. It was running massive deficits before the crisis ever struck. And now it is planning the biggest borrowing binge ever to bail out the irresponsible, inefficient and incompetent. The nation’s finances have been pushed beyond the point of recovery. (Robert Morley, Trumpet Weekly, March 7, 2009 issue, p. 10.)

The United States is beyond broke. It is borrowing and printing hundreds of billions of dollars in a mad scramble to escape economic quicksand.
Why, then, is it offering $300 million to reconstruct the Gaza Strip? And another $600 million to help the Palestinian Authority pay its bills? That’s $900 million of other people’s money—for a cause that is profoundly flawed. (Joel Hilliker, Trumpet Weekly, March 14, 2009 issue, p. 1.)
 "Will Social Security go bankrupt by 2010?" (Trumpet Weekly, April 18, 2009 issue, pp. 7-8.)
Never mind what some “experts” say. Bankruptcy is inevitable. The handwriting is all over the wall. (Stephen Flurry, "The Recession is Over?" Trumpet Weekly, August 8, 2009 issue, p. 3.)
The problem is that America has passed the financial point of no return. This country has reached debt-saturation. Borrowing and spending more money to fix a problem caused by too much borrowing and spending won’t fix anything. If you keep doing what you are doing, you will keep getting what you are getting.
The end of the recession is almost here. Next comes the depression. (Robert Morley, Trumpet Weekly, June 19, 2010 issue, p. 10.)
The world is heading toward another Lehman moment. Epoch-changing events are in motion—especially in Europe. (Second Collapse Coming Soon, Trumpet Weekly, July 23, 2011 issue, p. 9.)
After several wild stock market swings and S&P’s downgrading of America’s credit rating, anxiety about America’s financial future is understandable. Some analysts correctly recognize the S & P downgrade as another mile marker on the road to economic Armageddon.  (Joel Hilliker, We'll Always Be a Triple-A Country, Trumpet Weekly, August 13, 2011 issue, p. 10.)
The Dow Jones set a new record on Tuesday. Market commentators say this new record high is a big sign the economy is on the mend. But is it possible that it signals something much more ominous? (Robert Morley, Dow Jones Sets New Record: Now What?, Trumpet Weekly, March 9, 2013 issue, p. 10.)
In Americans’ view, we have done our part. We are weary of intervention. We’re broke. We’re weary of fighting. We’re sick of not seeing the benefits from all the effort and expenditure. (Joel Hilliker, The Age of American Intervention is Over, Trumpet Weekly, October 25, 2013 issue, p. 12.)
The United States is not going to go bankrupt. Per capita the United States was in fact more indebted back in the 1940s because of World War II but this fact is often overlooked partly because of inflation.

Also it is not possible for the United States to go bankrupt because its debt is denominated in its own currency. Other countries have gone bankrupt in recent years but that is because they did not control their own currencies. The United States does not face that particular problem.

This matter is a red herring. The United States is in no danger of going bankrupt. PCG was wrong on this matter in 1997 (see #25 above), in 2008, and today.

(This topic was discussed before here.)

35. PCG saying the U.S. economy is already destroyed.
Mr. Armstrong thought that crisis would be the collapse of the Western world’s monetary system! America’s banking system collapsed in September 2008. The American economy is already destroyed, we just don’t know it yet! (Gerald Flurry, Isaiah's End-Time Vision, 2013 version, p. 39.)
36. PCG saying American economy may collapse in 2013.
"America's Crash of 2013?" (Robert Morley, Trumpet Weekly, June 30, 2012 issue, p. 8.)
37. PCG insinuating that America might be destroyed by 2017.
Are you concerned about where the current administration is leading this country? Whether the nation can survive the next four years? It's worst then you think, and there is only one solution to this gigantic problem. (Trumpet Weekly, April 20, 2013 issue, p 11.)
38. PCG saying high oil prices will not come down.
Since coming to office, Mr. Obama has been confronted with an uncomfortable truth.
It is the fact that, going forward, it is going to become dramatically more difficult for America to obtain and secure the energy it needs—and sooner than most people realize. It is a truth that policy makers and politicians are afraid to publicly admit because the implications of an oil-constrained world affect everything from stock markets and food production to the dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency. ...
So where is the oil going to come from? Not America. ...
Over the past week crude oil surged to a new 17-month highs—$86 per barrel. Better get used to it, sky-high oil prices may soon be here to stay. (Robert Morley, Trumpet Weekly, April 10, 2010 issue, pp. 8-9.)
You are paying 20 cents a gallon more for gas today than you were a week ago. And $1.70 per gallon more than you were just 26 months ago.
Better get used to it. Of the 89.1 million barrels of oil the world uses every day, about 35 percent come from North Africa and the Middle East. Instability there has put oil supplies in serious jeopardy. As a result, the first two months of this year saw the price of oil leap about $20 a barrel. That translates into 50 cents more per gallon. (Joel Hilliker, Oil Shock Is Coming, Trumpet Weekly, March 5, 2011 issue, p. 4.)

What if America discovered it had a Saudi Arabia worth of oil under its own soil? Guess what? We found that oil—rather, the Canadians did. It just needs a way to get to market. But strangely, America doesn’t know if it wants it or not. (Robert Morley, Plugging Our Own Economy, Trumpet Weekly, November 26, 2011 issue, p. 8.)
[Here Hilliker discusses President Obama's re-election:] America re-elected the president after ... four years of rising inflation, gas prices, grocery bills and so on. (Joel Hilliker, Thoughts On Four More Years, Trumpet Weekly, November 10, 2012 issue, p. 7.)
Little did PCG know that the price of oil would later indeed go down.

39. Watching Karl-Theodor zu Guttenburg.
Consider German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg. Guttenberg, as Time observed this week, “is virtually the only German minister to emerge from the revelations untainted” (emphasis mine throughout). That’s telling. (Brad MacDonald, "Look Who Survived WikiLeaks," Trumpet Weekly, December 4, 2010 issue, p. 5.)
40. Watching the "three Bavarians of the moment".
So there it is. Yet once again we draw attention to three Bavarians of the moment—Joseph Ratzinger, Baron Guttenberg and Edmund Stoiber. (Ron Fraser, Germany--Watch This Space, Trumpet Weekly, June 5, 2010 issue, p. 4.)
What is it about these three Bavarians—Ratzinger, Stoiber and Guttenberg? ...
There is a reason why we watch these three Bavarians—Ratzinger, Stoiber and Guttenberg. They all share a common vision. It is the vision propounded by Stoiber’s mentor, Franz Josef Strauss, which matched that of the recently deceased Otto von Habsburg. It’s a Holy Roman imperial vision—a vision that has Rome as the spiritual glue that will hold together a revival, a literal resurrection, of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. (Ron Fraser, Three Men to Watch, Trumpet Weekly, October 8, 2011 issue, p. 5.)
Little did PCG know that Karl-Theodor zu Guttenburg would soon be forced to resign as defense minister. This is also a false prophecy.

41. The release of postage stamps in Germany honoring their own army cited as a sign that Germany will soon conquer America and Britain.
Following hard on the consolidation of Berlin as the national capital of Germany came the bringing out of storage and restoration for display of many of the statues of German military heroes dating back to its earliest imperial days. Then, recently, out of the blue, the German government released a postage stamp honoring the Bundeswehr’s expanding role in international missions. Perhaps this would be looked upon favorably by the world had not Germany possessed such a consistent history of abusing its military power over such a long period of time. (Ron Fraser, Germany--Return of National Pride, Trumpet Weekly, June 29, 2013 issue, p. 4.)
 42. Not foreseeing the Arab Spring.
Note that: The developed world—not some backwoods sub-Saharan dictatorship—is on the verge of exploding. (Brad MacDonald, A Chilling 'Age of Rage', Trumpet Weekly, June 12, 2010 issue, p. 4.)
This was written just before the Arab Spring began in Tunisia in December 2010 and spread throughout the Arab world.

43. Iran, the Taliban and a radicalized Pakistan could get nuclear weapons (2009).
 “Mankind is on a toboggan-slide toward nuclear oblivion! It looks like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad could have nuclear weapons in a matter of months. It also looks like the Taliban can conquer Pakistan in a very short amount of time. WE COULD HAVE THREE MADMEN IN THIS WORLD WITH NUCLEAR BOMBS!”
—Gerald Flurry, Co-Worker Letter, July 3, 2009 (As quoted in Trumpet Weekly, August 14, 2010 issue, p. 3.)
Six years later Iran has no nuclear weapons. The Taliban has not conquered Pakistan. Pakistan has not become radicalized. Once again PCG is wrong.

44. After withdrawing from Iraq America will never fight another war.
 “After World War II , Mr. Armstrong said the U.S. would never win another war. I believe that after we retreat from Iraq, America will never FIGHT another war!”
—Gerald Flurry, Trumpet, January 2007 (Quoted in The Trumpet Weekly, September 4, 2010 issue, p. 9.)
This was written just before the intervention in Libya which aided the Libyan people to overthrow the Gaddafi regime.

45. PCG's prophecies are to be fulfilled in the very near future most dramatically (2009).
Read and study our booklet.... If ever there was a book written for our time today, it is this book. You need to at least be acquainted with its message, even if you do not agree with it at this moment. For the chances are, you will recall and agree with its message when the prophecies that it contains are fulfilled, most dramatically, in the very near future!  (Ron Fraser, America The Corrupt, Trumpet Weekly, August 29, 2009 issue, p. 10.)
46. PCG speculating that the Berlin Club will become a streamlined EU composed of ten members which will soon conquer America and Britain.
The Trumpet has continued Mr. Armstrong’s forecast and explained repeatedly that a closely integrated group of 10 nations, or groups of nations, would emerge out of the 27-member EU behemoth that exists today. We don’t know for certain if the Berlin Club constitutes this group, but it’s possible. (Brad MacDonald, Germany Hasn't Given Up On a United States of Europe, Trumpet Weekly, March 24, 2012 issue, p. 5.)
47. PCG speculating that the State of Israel may fall by 2013.
Netanyahu sees that right now vast tracts of the Middle East, territorially, politically and strategically, belong to Iran and radical Islam. Soon now, this Iran-led radical Islamic mob will descend on Israel with overwhelming numbers and force. Like its embassy in Cairo last week, the Jewish state has a defensive wall, a top-notch military, crack intelligence and state-of-the-art anti-missile defense systems. That wall might hold for a while longer. But with each passing month, its ability to protect and defend will diminish, one missile, one terrorist attack at a time.
Soon, perhaps in a few months or maybe next year [2012] or the year after [2013], the weight of the Islamic mob will cause the wall to crumble and collapse. What will happen then?  (Brad MacDonald, Israel Enters Nightmare Scenario, The Trumpet Weekly, September 17, 2011, p. 10.)
For radical Islam, and especially the Palestinians, the speech was confirmation that they are on course for victory over Israel, and that all they need to do is hold fast to their current strategy. That strategy is simple: It involves bringing about the genocide of Israel by waging SIMULTANEOUS campaigns of aggression and of feigned peace, designed to force concessions and buy time. (Brad MacDonald, Hitler, the Palestinians and the West, Trumpet Weekly, May 21, 2011 issue, p. 1.)
48. PCG predicting that the Assad regime would fall to be replaced by a pro-EU government.
Syrian and Iranian interests and loyalties have been wed together for decades. But all of that is about to change—particularly now that we are witnessing the last days of Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorship. As early as 1994, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry expounded on a prophecy in Psalm 83 that reveals that Syria would ally itself with Germany. This is why we have long known about the forthcoming divorce between Syria and Iran. It’s not a matter of if— only when. (Iran To Let Go Of Syria, Trumpet Weekly, July 28, 2012 issue, p. 3.)
The latest U.S. policy shift to send direct aid to Syria is yet another game changer that will ultimately help topple Assad’s government and most likely trigger the switch in Syria’s allegiance from Iran to another alliance comprised of “moderate” Arab states and Germany. (Syria: the inevitability of collapse, Trumpet Weekly, March 9, 2013 issue, p. 3.)
49. PCG predicting that Ethiopia would fall to "radical Islam."
This verse states that Libya and Ethiopia are also going to be closely allied with Iran ! ... So you need to watch Libya and Ethiopia . They are about to fall under the heavy influence or control of Iran, the king of the south . That is why they are subdued in the king of the north victory. (Libya and Ethiopia in Prophecy, 2012, p. 6.)

Whoever heavily influences or controls Ethiopia will undoubtedly also control the small areas of Eritrea and Djibouti on the Red Sea coastline. These areas only recently became independent of Ethiopia. Also, I believe the Bible view is that these small areas are included as a part of Ethiopia. (Libya and Ethiopia in Prophecy, 2012, p. 6.)

As al-Shabaab terrorists clash with Ethiopian troops in Somalia and as Muslims across western Ethiopia burn churches, what is now basically a Somali civil war could soon escalate into an inter-state war between an Islamist-controlled Somalia and its western enemy. (Libya and Ethiopia in Prophecy, 2012, p. 9.)

Ethiopia’s decision last week to attack Eritrea’s terrorist training posts shows that, despite UN sanctions, the radical Islamist problem in Eritrea is growing. Expect the pressure on Ethiopia to intensify until the nation falls under the influence or control of radical Islam.(Libya and Ethiopia in Prophecy, 2012, p. 10.)

In Ethiopia, religious tension is growing too, and has surprised many. Ethiopia is predominantly Christian. Christians outnumber Muslims two to one. Yet even here, they were under attack earlier this year. Rioting Muslims burned 69 churches in addition to Christian homes and other buildings in a week-long uprising in March. Now in a backlash, the government is cracking down on Islamists. More than 570 Islamists have been rounded up and sentenced to jail terms of up to 18 years. An additional 107 are charged with terrorism for their roles in attacking Christians. Ethiopia is sending a message that radical Islam will not be tolerated. However, as happened in Egypt, and more recently in Syria, the government crack - down may actually empower those being targeted. (Libya and Ethiopia in Prophecy, 2012, p. 13.)

Egypt is not going to escape the king of the north because it is allied with Iran. The same applies to Libya and Ethiopia (which will probably be the next Middle East explosion, which Iran is going to exploit). (Libya and Ethiopia in Prophecy, 2012, p. 16.)

Earlier this year, Mr. Flurry outlined how Daniel 11 also foretells that Libya and Ethiopia will realign to join an Iranian-led, radical Islamist camp. Watch for these far-reaching changes. Egypt and Libya are already in the midst of their transition and Ethiopia is set to be next. (Libya and Ethiopia in Prophecy, 2012, p. 17.)

At the time, many readers rejected this warning as absurd. This is a “most bizarre article,” retorted one Trumpet reader from Ethiopia. My country is “one of the oldest and [most] devout Orthodox Christian nations on the planet (since third century) and a staunch ally of the United States. On behalf of U. S., Ethiopia invaded Somalia in late 2006 and kicked out ruling Islamic Courts Union .... [that] doesn’t sound like a nation doing Iran’s bidding.” He’s right too, at least in his facts. (Libya and Ethiopia in Prophecy, 2012, p. 22.)
 Clearly PCG should have listened to this Ethiopian reader.
Continue watching Ethiopia. Recent events appear to be setting the stage for an Islamic takeover. (Libya and Ethiopia in Prophecy, 2012, p. 25.)
Three years later Ethiopia has not turned Islamist and is unlikely to ever do so.

50. PCG predicting that the Muslim Brotherhood would radicalize Egypt just like Iran and join forces with Iran. 
What a dramatic and shocking transformation we have witnessed! A radical Islamist now presides over the biggest and most powerful state in the Arab world. Of course, Mohammed Morsi’s election represents a tremendous victory for democracy—so say the fantasists. But these fantasies will soon be exposed by a brutal reality. ... In other words, Egypt is now lost. Whether these radical steps are taken quickly and overtly or slowly and subtly, the outcome is inevitable.(Stephen Flurry, Egypt Is Lost, Trumpet Weekly, June 30, 2012 issue, p. 2.)
America pushed Mubarak out of office. Now an Islamist leader is setting himself up as a dictator in Mubarak’s place, and the U.S. is doing nothing. (Egypt's President Grants Himself Extraordinary Power, Trumpet Weekly, November 24, 2012 issue, p. 2.)
Little did PCG know that just one year later the Muslim Brotherhood would be ousted from power in a military coup and suppressed with much violence and bloodshed. At least 638 people were killed in this coup. PCG was wrong.

51. PCG insinuating that President Obama's re-election in 2012 would work in the interests of America's rivals.
Vladimir Putin took a “very positive view” of Mr. Obama’s victory. I should think so, considering President Obama’s pledge that he would have “more flexibility” to work with Russia after this election. Other happy leaders: Ahmadinejad, Chavez, the Muslim Brotherhood. Not so happy: Netanyahu. (Joel Hilliker, Thoughts On Four More Years, Trumpet Weekly, November 10, 2012 issue, p. 7.)
Putin ended up wading into a nasty war in eastern Ukraine that led to his nation getting sanctioned by many countries just when the price of oil went down. Ahmadinejad has since been replaced by Rouhani. Ahmadinejad's preferred candidate failed to gain power. Chavez died and his successor had to deal with long running protests and a toilet paper shortage. The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt was overthrown and suppressed with much violence and bloodshed and driven underground. Meanwhile Netanyahu gets about 20% of his nation's military budget funded by the United States.

52. African Americans will soon launch a wave of riots against the white majority all over the United States. PCG has taught this vicious and racist idea continuously since 1992, if not earlier.

*******

And after all these miserable failures to predict the future PCG leaders still wonder why PCG just is not as popular as the PCG leadership seem to think they should be.
We’ve been trumpeting these prophecies for over two decades, following in the footsteps of Herbert W. Armstrong, who prophesied before us for more than 50 years. And now that many of these very prophecies are being fulfilled, one would think our mail bins would be buried under piles of requests; that our phone lines would light up like Las Vegas; that our Web traffic would crash the servers. 
Instead, it’s more like a steady trickle of interest—one from a city, two from a family, as the Prophet Jeremiah said. God’s work is still getting done. His warning message of LOVE is still going out to this world.
But the support for that worldwide work is coming from such a tiny group of dedicated families.
Most do not make time for Christ or His good news message of the soon-coming Kingdom of God. They are too busy attending to the cares of this world. As the Apostle Paul said about the perilous times of these “last days,” men would love themselves and pleasure-seeking MORE THAN GOD (2 Timothy 3:1-4). This doesn’t apply to every single individual, of course—but it certainly describes our society in general. ...
Can’t we put some time-consuming, energetic devotion into our love and service to God and His great work? (Stephen Flurry, It's High Time to Wake Up!, Trumpet Weekly, April 2, 2011 issue, p. 10.)
A major reason why PCG is not taken seriously is because of these many false predictions the PCG leadership have made over the years.

The evidence is clear. Gerald Flurry and those with him in the Philadelphia Church of God are false prophets. There is no need for anyone to fear that their dire words will come to pass. The Bible commands us not to be afraid of their words. They are false prophets.

Sunday, June 26, 2016

PCG's Richard Palmer Blames Influx of Eastern Europeans for Brexit

PCG's Richard Palmer says that disapproval of the immigration of Eastern Europeans into Britain under Prime Minister Blair is what has prompted British voters to vote for Brexit.

PCG Yearns for More Popularity After Brexit

Seeking to exploit Brexit as much as they can (which includes the latest cover for their recruitment magazine) PCG's Jeremiah Jacques posted the following Tweet boasting of increased traffic to their recruitment website after Brexit. It is clear PCG's leaders are so excited about Brexit because they think they can attract more tithes paying members by exploiting this event.



But no matter how much they say otherwise, PCG's leaders are still but false prophets who have made numerous incorrect predictions (false prophecies) who clearly cannot see the future.

PCG Ignoring False Prophecy of 1975 to Exploit Brexit

Seeking to exploit Brexit as much as they can PCG has unveiled the latest cover for their recruitment magazine.


Of course it is conveniently ignored that HWA taught from 1953 onward that the Great Tribulation would begin in 1972 and that Christ would return in 1975. These words sound far less impressive if one is simply aware of that crucial context.

Ironically the quoted words are from HWA's 1956 booklet, 1975 in Prophecy. (See the heading, "What Communism Really Is.")

One wonders if PCG's writers will bother to mention that booklet by name?