Satan does not want people to be in the Kingdom of God.

He wants to dissuade you and others from doing so.

How does he do that?

Through lies and false witnesses.

While you might think you are immune to Satan, remember that the New Testament teaches:

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, (1 Peter 5:7-9)

Satan does not want you to truly have faith in God or His word.

Jesus said Satan the devil was a liar from the beginning:

44 … He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. (John 8:44)

Some of Satan’s allies at Banned by HWA website continue to post lies about those of us in Continuing Church of God (CCOG) as well as other COGs.

That is consistent with Satan’s hope as he is called the “accuser of the brethren” which he does do day and night (Revelation 12:10), so it is no great surprise if his lying human assistants spread lies regularly.

If you are not part of a COG (Church of God), Satan hopes you will dismiss the true Christian faith as a false cult–this is something he and his followers have done throughout history (see also Is the Genuine Church of God a Cult?).

Jesus, Himself, said that people who claimed to believe the Bible often denounced God’s prophets:

11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12)

Notice the following evil that was posted at Banned by HWA:

Bob Thiel has lied to us from day one about God speaking to him in dreams, that he is the only COG doing the work, that he is a prophet, that he is Elisha, Elijah, Zephaniah, Joshua, and many other appropriated personalities (about the only thing left to call himself is Legion). Has Bob ever apologized and will he EVErRapologize for lying to us?

Now the above is false witness from Gary Leonard (the webmaster of the above site and the one who posted that).

Satan hopes you will believe lies.

One of the Ten Commandments is, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16).

Yet repeatedly, Gary Leonard has borne false witness.

There is no point in me, Bob Thiel, apologizing for telling the truth.

Gary Leonard and those who believe his lies need to repent.

The truth is on December 15, 2011, LCG minister Gaylyn Bonjour, while laying hands on me, was moved by the Holy Spirit to pray that God would grant me a “double portion” of His Spirit, which Gaylyn Bonjour said was reminiscent of the passing of the mantle from Elijah to Elisha as recorded in 2 Kings 2:9-13. He has always publicly concurred with me that is what happened.

Furthermore, on November 28, 2019, Gaylyn Bonjour stated that he believed that God answered his prayer regarding Him granting me a double-portion of His Spirit.

Additionally, on November 28, 2019, Gaylyn Bonjour also stated that he tells those who ask:

I have known Bob Thiel since 1986. He has always been honest, dedicated, and sincere.

And that includes what I have written about him, dreams, and the prophet matter. My teaching about what happened is accurate and not false. I have not lied about this.

The Book of Proverbs teaches:

16 The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes
Than seven men who can answer sensibly. (Proverbs 26:16)

Satan hopes that YOU will be lazy and not believe. Satan hopes YOU will not take the time to check out the truth on this. Satan does NOT want YOU to accept that God really has been providing and fulfilling dreams in the 21st century.

Satan wants YOU to think that there are no serious differences between the legitimate COGs so not being part of CCOG is fine.

Satan wants YOU, like most Christians these days, to be Laodicean and not see if these things are so?

Why?

Because he knows Jesus said for unrepentant Laodicean Christians, “I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing” (Revelation 3:16-17).

The bulk of end time Christians do not truly believe that the New Testament shows that in the end of the last days God will provide dreams to His most faithful. God proceeded the start of the Philadelphia era with a dream to a woman and the start of the CCOG with a dream to a woman (see Dreams, the Bible, the Radio Church of God, and the Continuing Church of God).

And as far as seven men answering sensibly goes, in addition to myself and Gaylyn Bonjour, some may wish to read the testimonies of six others associated with CCOG who had confirmed dreams (5 of which are men, bringing the total to at least seven men). Details are in the article: Dreams, the Bible, the Radio Church of God, and the Continuing Church of God.

Now, what about the dream complaints from Gary Leonard?

The Bible records that God often has used dreams to give messages, mainly to men (Genesis 20:3-7, 28:10-17, 31:10-13, 31:24, 37:5-10, 40:5-18, 41:1-32; Numbers 12:6; Judges 7:13-15; 1 Kings 3:5-15; Daniel 2:3-45, 4:4-27, 7:1-28; Matthew 1:20-25, 2:12, 2:13, 2:19, 2:22; Acts 16:9), and possibly at least once to a woman (cf. Numbers 12:6; Judges 4:4-16). Though most dreams that people have are not from God (Ecclesiastes 5:7; Zechariah 10:2).

Well, although all real Christians claim to believe the Bible, many do not take all of it seriously enough. Satan wants true Christians to fall away or to be sufficiently Laodicean that they will not take various last days prophecies, such as in Acts 2:17-18 (see
Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18?), seriously enough to act upon that knowledge.

Like, for example, the following:

6 “Hear now My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision;
I speak to him in a dream. (Numbers 12:6)

Notice that the above says that God will speak to His prophet in a dream.

People may say they believe it, but most Christians do not believe that God has done that with anyone in the 21st century.

For example, although most Christians believe that we are living in the end of the last days, they do not accept that the following really is happening now:

17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy. (Acts 2:17-18)

If God is not speaking to any in dreams, then it really is not the last days.

Yet, the Continuing Church of God DOES have the signs of Acts 2:17-18 (see Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18?).

Satan does not want you to take inspired, confirmed dreams seriously. He wants you opposed, or at best lukewarm, to that biblical idea. Satan wants you to have enough doubts about God and His promises so that you will be “a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8).

Consider that the late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong, basically said the signs of Acts 2:17-18 were to come again in a 1981 sermon:

Joel 2:28-29 And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: (29) And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
So there is a time coming when God will start pouring out His spirit on human beings. … Day of Pentecost, 3000 were baptized. Peter preached a sermon. They were pricked in their hearts. God began to draw them. God was now… Remember He said, “I will pour out of my spirit on all flesh.” All right, there’s a duality of that. (Armstrong HW. Building The Temple. Sermon, February 14, 1981)

Those who once had a background with the old Worldwide Church of God (WCG) should further realize that it taught the following:

Thank you for your question concerning visions or dreams. The Bible reveals that in times past servants of God were given visions and dreams for specific reasons and/or to convey special messages. … God has used this means of communication in the past and will do so again (Acts 2:17; Joel 2:28) (L052 Worldwide Church of God, 1989)

As the WCG did not publicly acknowledge any such dreams after that letter was sent, the interpretation must be that God would later use dreams (it should be mentioned that the original date of L052 was prior to 1986–hence it was not a change by the Tkach Administration).

If these are the end of the last days, then God must be working some place.

Jesus warned that the faithful would be persecuted and insulted:

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12, NKJV)
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12, NIV)

Paul even claimed that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecutions” (2 Timothy 3:21). So, of course, keeping the same practices that Jesus of Nazareth, the Nazarene ringleader called the Apostle Paul, and others throughout history does not make one part of an inappropriate “cult” (see also Nazarene Christianity: Were the Original Christians Nazarenes?).

Notice something that the Apostle Peter was inspired to write:

15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. (1 Peter 3:15-16)

So, for those who wonder about the truth, this post contains “a defense,” a true response to some of the many false assertions at the anti-COG Banned by HWA website.

12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”
14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” (Revelation 22:12-16)

Those who believe the false assertions at the Banned by HWA website are among those that love and practices lies.

Those who do so should repent.

Jesus taught:

44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:44-45)

Gary Leonard remains in my prayers.

Which is more sensible? The truth or rants from accusers of the brethren?

Jesus said, of prophets, “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16).

The Continuing Church of God has been the fastest growing xWCG group in the 21st century. The fruits are there for those with eyes to see and “ears to hear” (Mark 4:23)–but non-believers (Deuteronomy 29:4) and the bulk of end-time Christians do not (cf. Revelation 3:14-22).

Anyway, what Satan continues to hope is that you will believe lies, not believe that God actually has sent fulfilled dreams to those in the Continuing Church of God, and that you will not look into the details to see if it is so–like the Bereans of old did in Acts 17:10-11.

If you are not part of CCOG, Satan wants you to stay away from it.

He does not want you to be dedicated or noble enough to see if what is written here (and in the related links) is really true.

Can you accept the truth or do you prefer the lying assertions from sites like Banned by HWA?

Related Items:

17 Last Days' Signs of the Holy Spirit

Is the Genuine Church of God a Cult?

Church of God Leaders on Prophets

How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God

Dreams, COGs, and One Man Rule

The Times of the Gentiles

Go, Set a Watchman

The Work per HWA and the Bible