Ronald Weinland Upset, Does Anyone Care?

COG Writer, Robert Thiel, writes that “Ron Weinland Continues to Vacillate & Be Upset With Critics”. People, like yours truly, who would criticize him for preaching against the Bible, are supposed to die. Sorry, Ron, but criticizing you is not criticizing God, in spite of what you may otherwise preach. [For those who are not aware, calling him a false prophet because his timelines have come and gone is criticizing God, in his opinion.]

I guess Weinland is the news that will not go away, but it is hard to get too excited about it. Frankly, I’ve been meaning to add to Thiel’s commentary on “Ronald Weinland’s False 38th ‘Truth’” for some time now, but it has stayed on the bottom of the heap. For one thing, I wanted to look up all 50 of his “truths” first, but there have been far more important things to write about. I wanted to first see what else he may have gotten wrong, as it might do well to post an article on some of the more egregious ones. Well, I guess now is as good a time as any to comment on the 38th “truth”.

Actually, Thiel’s article is quite good. He even mentions a parable that proves that Weinland’s snide “mere 3 1/2 years or less” remark is unwarranted. Specifically, the 38th “truth” is:

The 144,000 are all those who have been called and tried by God over the past 6,000 years who will be in the first resurrection at Christ’s return. The Philadelphia era taught that there would be 144,000 from Philadelphia who would be resurrected at Christ’s return, along with an innumerable multitude who would come out of Laodicea during the final 3 1/2 years of great tribulation. This is false. In order to enter into the God family one must be tried and tested over many years and not just for a mere 3 1/2 years or less. Those who live through the tribulation will be a continuation of people making up the Church on into the Millennium. The innumerable multitude mentioned in Revelation 7 is the same 144,000 who have been sealed and then resurrected at the time of Christ’s return. All have gone through great tribulation to become part of the God Family. They are called innumerable simply because from a physical vantage point no human could count such a gathering of people, and only God knows the number of those whom He has worked with over the past 6,000 who have been molded and prepared to be in His Family and in His government. (Rev 14:1, Rev 7:1)

~ The Church of God – Preparing for the Kingdom of God

Setting aside the whole Laodicean controversy for the moment, it seems ludicrous to set a time limit on what God can achieve. It seems even more ludicrous when often in the Bible God calls people even before they are born (Jeremiah, Samson, Samuel, Jesus Christ).

While I like the parable Thiel picked out, I have another in mind that sticks out even more because of the timeframe involved:

He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.

Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?

And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:

And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

~ Lk 13:6-9

Sounds pretty close to a 3-1/2 year time period to me! If a tree is worth 4 years, how much more are people worth?