Notes and Quotes
from the church of God

CG7 history and Christology

SYDNEY, Australia--Craig White announces he has scanned and uploaded a history of the Church of God (Seventh Day) written by John Kiesz, who died in 1996. See Mr. Kiesz's history at tinyurl.com/mwvzfb.

Also at the site (maintained by Mr. White's Friends of the Sabbath Australia) are Elder Kiesz's "The Christological Controversy." (A belief in the singleness of the Godhead was the norm in the CG7 of the early and middle 20th century.)

Also at the site is the last known interview of Mr. Kiesz, titled "Sabbatarian Pioneer John Kiesz Spent Life in Music Ministry," which appeared in the May 27, 1996, issue of In Transition a few days after Mr. Kiesz died.

World's oldest Bible online

LONDON, England--The 1,600-year-old Codex Sinaiticus is up on a Web site after a collaboration between four organizations in Britain, Egypt, Germany and Russia that have had held parts of the ancient book after a Russian czar bought it in the mid-1800s.

The British Library, which heads up the project, said it purchased most of the book from the Soviet Union in 1933 for 100,000 pounds so the Soviets would not discard it.

The Greek manuscript, 800 pages on animal skin, was four years in the scanning, according to a report at independent.co.uk.

View or download pages from Sinaiticus at codexsinaiticus.org/en. The same Web site notes that a new English version of the book is in the works.

Frank Nelte on 'one God'

HIDEAWAY, Texas--Frank Nelte announces a new 30-page article he has written to address Mark 12:29, which quotes the Shema, Deuteronomy 6:4, which states that "the Lord is one."

"Did you know that the Jews have changed their explanation for Deuteronomy 6:4 over the centuries, that they used to explain this verse differently from the way they explain it today?" Mr. Nelte asked.

"When people who believe in the "oneness of God" throw Deuteronomy 6:4 and Mark 12:29 at you, do you know how to demolish their argument?" he continued.

See Mr. Nelte's article, which is a response to "unitarians," or believers in "one God," at tinyurl.com/ltfh15.

His article concludes that "Deuteronomy 6:4 has nothing whatsoever to do with 'how many members there are currently in the Family of God.' Currently there are two: God the Father and Jesus Christ. Later many, many others will also become a part of that Family."

Jamaica Web site

KINGSTON, Jamaica--The Church of God International in Jamaica has a Web site at jamaica.cgi.org.

Recent postings feature a report about baptisms in Jamaica for the Passover; Leviticus 23:15 (counting down to Pentecost); and more.

For more about the CGI in Jamaica and its pastor, see "Ian Boyne Still Going Strong After 22 Years in the Media," beginning on page 1 of this issue of The Journal.

Daniel's timeline

NORMAN, Okla.--Church of God members in widely scattered parts of the world are impressed of late with a 2005 DVD that's taken on a new life in 2009.

The DVD contains a video presentation called Daniel's Timeline by Oklahoman Dewey Bruton.

Mr. Bruton has discovered intricately interlocking times, dates and prophecies involving the jubilee years that point to the Second Coming in 2016.

See danielstimeline.com.

Two views of war

BIG SANDY, Texas--Traditionally, young Church of God members during times of war have registered as conscientious objectors to warfare.

Many COG young men, Ambassador College students among them, during the 1960s filled out paperwork to file with their "selective service" offices in their hometowns.

A recent CO application, filed May 4, 2009, with the U.S. Navy, is up on the Internet from Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Daniel Lakemacher, who, at age 26 and as an Navy corpsman, decided he no longer believed in war and had become, in fact, a sincere conscientious objector.

Discussed in AC classes in the '60s was the perspective that COG members weren't really conscientious objectors because they would fight under the right circumstances; for example, if God were to set up a theocracy on earth, as in the case of Old Testament Israel or, looking forward, the Millennium.

Different about Officer Lakemacher is that, if he can be believed, he is more of a consistent CO than were Ambassador students in the '60s.

To see his detailed CO application go to tinyurl.com/l9hbcr. See also "Was Old WCG Right About War for the Wrong Reasons?," an interview with Ewin Barnett in The Journal, Oct. 31, 2001.

For another view of war, that some warfare is indeed justified, see justwartheory.com and "Pastor Says COG Members Should Support War on Terrorism, Including Militarily," an interview with Jeff Booth, also in The Journal of Oct. 31, 2001.