Although COGWA left out some criteria, even based upon the above criteria, there is one person in one of the COGs that meets all those criteria, and he is not part of COGWA, but physically heads up the Continuing Church of God(CCOG). Yet, despite what COGWA is teaching, its members do not take proper action.
~ Bob Thiel, “COGWA: ‘Four tests to prove whether a prophet is true’“
You really have to wonder when Bob Thiel will quit lying.
COGWriter Bob Thiel likes to twist and take other people’s and organization’s out of context, so let’s be clear about what the COGWA article, “False Prophets“, actually says.
First of all, and foremost, it defines what a prophet is, something Bob Thiel continually muddies up:
A prophet is thus someone who speaks for another, foresees the future or proclaims a message.
An important function of a true prophet is found in a statement from God to the ancient Israelites through Moses…
This is a very important point! A prophet speaks for someone else. They deliver a message for someone else. IOW, God speaks to a prophet in dreams or visions (S. Nu 12:5-7) to give a message for an individual, group, nation or the entire world.
This means that the prophet might dream a dream to deliver a message to someone else. Ordinarily, this is a warning message.
It is also important to note that the dream isn’t about the prophet himself/herself. Dreams prove nothing without results.
Bob Thiel has yet to deliver a real message to anyone, except supposedly about himself. Obviously, this is a narcissistic view of how God speaks to His people. Bob Thiel has yet to speak a message, declare it a message from God and then have it come to pass!
Here are the “Four Tests” COGWA wrote about with my rebuttal to COGWriter Bob Thiel’s self-aggrandizing article:
1. Does the conduct of the prophet reflect godly character?
Absolutely not! COGWriter Bob Thiel’s arrogance in rebelling against his former organization (after praising them so long in public, BTW) is reminiscent of Satan’s rebellion against God. His finger-pointing and judgmentalism towards others proves he is the quintessential Laodicean (the people judge — others, that is).
2. Do the predictions of the prophet come true?
What predictions? All Thiel does is rehash a mix of biblical prophecies intermingled with pagan prophecies to create an abomination of predictions. Yet, where is the “thus saith the Lord…”? To be a prophet, you have to prophesy, and he has yet to do so.
3. Are the words of the prophet consistent with Scripture?
No. His organization, as well as his parent group LCG, add all sorts of traditions of men to their beliefs, including but not exhaustively forms of government (idolatry of men), criticisms of observing the anniversary of one’s birth, laxity on the sanctity of marriage, church eras, and more.
Worse, he includes many pagan and un-Christian prophecies as part of his message. A true prophet of God would not need to do this to the extent he engages in it.
Essentially, his emphasis upon being a “Philadelphian remnant”, a self-contradiction that a school child can see, means he is preaching a different message, a different gospel, than the NT does.
4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit [such as an attitude of judgmentalism], which ye have not received, or another gospel [such as the message of being “Philadelphian” rather than a message of what Christ will do when He returns], which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
…
12 But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
~ 2Co 11:4,12-15
4. Do the people benefit spiritually from the prophet’s ministry?
No. The only benefit is Bob Thiel’s enrichment and supposed elevation of status. The people he leads will be lead into the wilderness of false teaching and idolatry that characterizes so many that Satan has grabbed ahold of before they could see the truth (Cf. Lk 8:5, 11-12).
Simply put, too many church organizations take on titles of prophet, apostle and even sillier terms jerked out of context from the Bible in order to entice you and I and anyone else who will listen to follow them rather than God.
The Continuing Church of God joins the ranks of the Philadelphia Church of God, Church of God — Preparing for the Kingdom of God and Restored Church of God as being part of the synagogue of Satan, claiming they are people of God when they are not (Rev 2:9; 3:9).