end times

I’m publishing a letter which I have sent to Mr. Weinland in response to his question on April 18th as to why I haven’t joined his church.

Dear Mr. Weinland,

I am writing regarding your sermon on April 18th when you asked the question, “Why haven’t you joined? What are you waiting for?”

You talked about people who have listened for a few years (I am one of them) but who have not been moved to join the Church.

I can’t speak for any of the others, but I will tell you that I am waiting for the second trumpet, and I’ll tell you why.

If I had heard you prior to your publishing your books and claiming your job as God’s witness, I probably would have seriously considered joining the Church. The way you explain the scriptures and show how they fit together logically is so inspiring after growing up hearing the catholic and protestant confusing stories. 

I believe you’re correct about the Sabbath, tithing, the holy days and many other “Truths.” I also believe the invalidity of the trinity, easter, christmas, Sunday worship, good Friday and the many other lies we’ve been taught.

However, I’m having a difficult time with the “end-times.”

It’s not that I think you’re wrong, it’s just that it seems “too good to be true.” In every instance throughout my life of fifty years, if something appeared too good to be true it was.

So like Thomas, I continue to be a doubter. I don’t know if I’ll have an opportunity to prove to myself your story as clearly as Thomas did, but I think I will be able to believe at the sounding of the second trumpet as you have described it.

I may be fooling myself. Maybe as a doubter I will be unable to believe it when it happens, but I am hoping and praying that God will guide me when the time comes.

I wish you no ill will and I do hope you’re right, but I cannot bring myself to take the final step at this point.

And whether you are God’s prophet or not, I thank you for opening up the bible to me and showing me the truth in so many ways.

Very truly yours,

I was on my way to work today and something I had read in the Reader’s Digest about immortality popped back into my head.

The article was talking about how American’s are less likely to desire immortality than some other people around the world.

It got me thinking about my own mortality. I don’t really have a desire to live forever in this body. After 50 years, mine is beginning to get worn. Getting old and not being able to take care of myself is a frightening thought. The thought of my family fending for itself is more disturbing to me than being dead. 

I think one of the things that draws me to Ron and his announcement that we’re only 3 years from the end of an age is that I can accept death. In some ways I’m okay with being one of the “millions who will die” since I would know that it’s only for a thousand years and that I will be resurrected. 

Right now there’s the promise of eternal life, but there’s nothing physical to prove that it’s so. I guess what I’m really looking for a sign that God does care for us and he’s going to make thing all better in the end. 

Does anyone else feel a longing for a better world?

Last time I was talking about how Ron could actually do harm to the Church of God if he turns out to be false. Today I wanted to look at the 50th truth as published on his website.

In it he states that the timing of end-time events have been revealed through the Church. He goes on to explain exactly what will happen and when it will happen.

Well, if it happens as he says, there’s no need for discussion.

But if he’s wrong, then the 50th “truth” isn’t!

So what does that mean about the 49th? Well, it’s about the seven thunders. Well, that’d be wrong.

Well, what about the 48th? That’s about the revelation of the 2 witnesses. So that would be wrong too.

Going back to the 47th, we find that it could still be true. It states “The day Christ returns is the same 24 hour day when all seven vials (Seven Last Plagues) are poured out, once this Seventh Trumpet is blown.”

In fact, Ron’s falseness would affect only the last 3 “truths” directly. 

But you have to ask yourself, “if he’s wrong about the last 3, why should I believe the first 47?”

So you see my dilemma. 

Any thoughts?

There’s a part of me that hopes Ron Weinland is a prophet. That part wants to see the end come – the sooner the better.

The other part of me hopes he’s not, because I’m afraid of the end – the unknown. I’ve got a fairly easy life. I have all the food I need (and more), a nice house, great family, good health. Everything one could want. I don’t want to give that up for the unknown.

But let’s say for a minute, he’s a fraud. Maybe he knows it, maybe he doesn’t.

Can we still learn from him?

Independent of whether he’s a prophet, I believe he preaches some biblical truth. I think he’s right about the seventh day sabbath, the trinity (being false), easter (being false), God’s directions to observe the passover and a number of other doctrines.

Ron re-affirmed my distaste for the Roman Catholic Church and the way it has polluted Christianity. Mind you I have nothing against Catholics personally, I married one. I just don’t like the reigion.

But I’m afraid that if Ron is a false prophet that the truths he teaches will be tainted by the relationship to Ron. People will say “Oh that Ron Weinland preached seventh day sabbath, and look how he turned out to be false! He must have been wrong about what God wants.”

So if he’s wrong, will he have done more bad than good for the Church of God?

I was listening to Ron’s recent interview with Mike Connell and I got a kick out of Mike calling God a hairsplitter. It’s funny that a few years ago I would have felt the same way.

Now I have a new respect for God. 

I feel more compelled to do what he said to do, not what I think he should want.

I guess it’s very presumptuous of someone to tell God how we should behave. That’s not our say.

I guess as a Protestant for all my life, I’ve behaved as though God didn’t really care what we did as long as we were “good.” I know I’ve broken his commandments over the years, but I guess I’d been conditioned to feel that they were merely guidelines.

Could it possibly be that God does really care that we do exactly as he says?

Isn’t it his right to be a hairsplitter?

I guess I can somehow appreciate the feelings of the Jews when Jesus announced who he was and his role as their King. They were so oppressed by the Romans. They were so happy to think that their suffering would end and Jesus would rule.

I can imagine their disappointment when they realized (if they realized) that Jesus’ time for ruling was to be in the future – not for their time.

Is that the disappointment we will face if Ron’s wrong?

If Pentecost 2012 rolls around and things are unchanged, will we be incredibly disappointed?

I think I will be.

And you?

I guess one of the reasons I like to listen to Ron is that I feel some comfort in thinking that maybe God will make everything right after all.

In last week’s sermon, he kept talking about the sick world and how it’s all going to change. I’d love to see that.

I worry about the world my kids will be living in. It’s a mess now…and getting worse by the day.

The economy’s a mess. The government is run by idiots. The banks and major corporations are bleeding the government and the people dry. 

Where will it all end?

Ron predicted a financial collapse, but he wasn’t alone, and no one else gives God credit for telling us it would happen.

And then this week. did you see that the Taliban is claiming they’re going to nuke Washington DC? Call me crazy, but maybe it would help. I just hope congress is in session so we can get rid of those idiots too!

Anyone else ready for God to take over?

Sometimes I feel like I’m in some sci-fi movie. Somewhere where things don’t make sense.

Lately I feel like Richard Dreyfus in Close Encounters.

He has this image in his head and he can’t shake it. He doodles the image and builds a model, just to try to get his head around the thought. 

I listen to this crazy preacher. Ron Weinland seems like a nice guy. He’s not the best speaker I’ve ever heard, but he gets his points across.

Is he right?

Is he sent by God to warn us the end is near?

Why would a guy say this if he couldn’t prove it? 

I once read a book about proving that Jesus was who he said he was. I’d have to dig it out for the title, but one of the arguments was that he would have to be insane to say the things he said if he didn’t have some proof of his story. I don’t know how we could ever try to prove if a man that lived 2,000 years ago was crazy or not.

Is there any way to determine if Ron’s crazy?

Am I crazy to listen to him week in and week out?

I do know that if he says we’re going to all drink some yummy juice or put on costumes, kill ourselves and catch a ride on a comet’s tail, I’ll have my answer.

I honestly don’t think that would happen, but it would certainly answer my questions about Ron.

Anyone have any better sense if he’s crazy?