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For a while now I have been receiving now and then an email magazine called GoodNews. I usually skim the headlines, and then delete it, mainly to keep the mailbox clear, and because I don't have time to read it. However, having now read many of your articles and a lot of the forum discussions, I thought "I should check these people out"! I did originally have a "prickle of doubt" based on their ministry name "United Church of God" - for some reason I always feel unsure when "united" is part of the name of a church/ministry.

When I looked further into them, I found that they believe that the Sabbath is Saturday, and that Christians should meet together for worship on that day, and that Christians should keep the feasts, especially the Feast of Tabernacles. They seem very sincere and "measured" in their approach, and very devoted. I have never seen any of their magazine articles mention Saturday worship and keeping the feasts, but then as I said, I only skim the headlines. I am still reading further into their beliefs and teachings on their website, but thought I'd post this for any additional comments.
Hi Mary

I have been perusing their stuff and noticed they are proponents of British Israelism. Swoon


http://www.ucg.org/booklets/US/britishisraelism.asp
Advocates of British Israelism
"...Focusing on the biblical promises, some scholars have undertaken extensive research to advance the knowledge that God's promised blessings to Abraham's descendants have largely been fulfilled in the British and American peoples. Although many have contributed to the basic research, here are a few people who have made significant contributions to the advancement of this area of study.

John Wilson, Anglican layman from Cheltenham, England, published Our Israelitish Origin in 1840. This work was the first full-blown thesis connecting the Anglo-Saxons to ancient Israel. Wilson drew on the best of contemporary scholarship and methodology. He made particular use of the work of Sharon Turner (1768-1847), a monumental figure in British historiography whose multivolume work, The History of the Anglo-Saxons, traces the Anglo-Saxons back through Europe to the Balkan countries and ultimately to the Crimea and Caucasus Mountains—exactly what we would expect according to 2 Kings 17:6 and 1 Chronicles 5:26.

Edward Hine, a banker and successor of Wilson, wrote Forty-Seven Identifications of the British Nation With Lost Israel (1871). Hine claimed to have addressed 5 million people on this topic during his lecture-circuit career.

John Harden Allen, Methodist minister from the U.S. Pacific Northwest, wrote Judah's Sceptre and Joseph's Birthright (1917).

T. Rosling Howlett, Baptist minister, had pastorates in New York City, Washington and Philadelphia.

Charles Piazzi Smyth (1819-1900) was the royal astronomer of Scotland and emeritus professor of astronomy at Edinburgh University.

Col. John Cox Gawler (1830-1882) was the keeper of the British crown jewels.

Herbert Armstrong (1892-1986), founder and chancellor of Ambassador University, wrote The United States and British Commonwealth in Prophecy, published in several editions until 1986.

Steven Collins wrote The "Lost" Ten Tribes of Israel...Found! (1992), later expanded into a four-volume series.

Yair Davidy authored The Tribes: The Israelite Origins of Western Peoples (1993), Ephraim (1995), Ephraim: The Gentile Children of Israel (2001) and Joseph: The Israelite Destiny of America (2001).

Raymond McNair, minister of the Global Church of God, wrote America and Britain in Prophecy (1996).

John Ogwyn, minister of the Living Church of God, wrote What's Ahead
for America and Britain? (1999).


___I also noticed in their various teachings, including tithing, and keeping kosher food laws, etc that they believe that the new covenant did not mean any change in the law--just that the law was written on the heart. The law in their teachings is the Sinai covenant and specifically the ten commandments.

Heb 7:12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. Sign0007

Heb 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

Hebrews 7:18-19 For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. 19. For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

Hebrews 10:1-10 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 2. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 5. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. 7. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. 8. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 9. Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Galatians 3:17-19 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. 18. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. 19. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.



Icon_runforhills
Thanks Vic 8836

run for the hills indeed. I read through many of their articles on British Israelism : what a morass of information. It reminded me of the whole Illuminati conspiracy ideas (further morass!) ( I was friends as a child with the Reed family, whose grandfather John(?) Reed wrote many books on that subject) ...it all makes me shudder!

my Bible reading this morning was 2 Corinthians 11 - much more "illuminating"

vs 3:
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

vs 22:
Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.

vs 23:
Are they ministers of Christ?
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