Gathering Gentiles, Are The Apostles Ruling?
January 22, 2024
Good day! I am writing a series of short reviews of abbreviated COGR video clips. I am looking for input and comments. If it makes it easier, I will be glad to supply a Word document so comments can be put in the document and we can communicate directly. My email address is lattema@icloud.com. I hope you find these reviews helpful.
Transcript:
And in the restoration, God has restored 12 Thrones. The fullness of the Gentiles, and there’s coming a day when all Gentiles that are saved will be gathered together, And Israel will remain blind until that fullness of the Gentiles be come in, until the fullness of time the 12 apostles that are Gentile sit and the Gentiles begin to come from the east, West, North and South in a full gathering. It’s just simply saying Israel will have this hardness of heart as a nation until the very end of the age, until the end of time, when at last, the completeness of the fullness of the Gentiles is gathered together. And so all Israel shall be saved.
Scriptural Text Referenced: Romans 11:25-26
25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. 27 And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” [1]
Text that seems like it’s from the Bible but doesn’t have any related Scripture.
- God has restored twelve thrones,
- all Gentiles that are saved will be gathered together.
- Israel will remain blind until that fullness of the Gentiles comes in
- In the fullness of time, the twelve apostles who are Gentiles will sit (on their thrones)
- The Gentiles will begin to come from the east, west, north, and south in a full gathering
Commentary:
This serves as an illuminating example of the COGR’s approach to interpreting Scripture. Most Christians, when delving into the Bible, aim to minimize external influences and let the text speak for itself. They seek to understand the language and context as it would have been perceived by those in the 1st century. On the contrary, the COGR has developed an extensive mythology over the past forty years. When interpreting Scripture, they integrate their mythology into the text, making it likely that the original meaning would be unintelligible to those in the 1st century and leading to disagreement with the meaning of texts in modern translations. Bringing a narrative or mythology to the Bible and imposing it on the text can result in the text conveying almost anything, as seen here. This type of manipulation is common in much of the COGR’s teaching and preaching.
In Stephen’s discussion, he emphasizes the COGR’s expectations, suggesting that there will be ruling Apostles and that Gentile Apostles represent the fullness of the Gentiles. He draws parallels and asserts equivalence with the original 12 Apostles, claiming that 12 new Gentile apostles now hold restored thrones, anticipating a significant arrival of Gentiles to redeem Israel from blindness.
However, these claims lack solid Biblical support and are considered speculative. The New Testament doesn’t mention Gentile apostles in the end times or equate the fullness of the Gentiles with Gentile Apostles. In contrast, Matthew 19:28 suggests that the original 12 apostles will only assume their roles upon Jesus’ return, challenging the idea of 12 current Gentile apostles gathering all Gentiles.
Despite using the Bible to back their mythology, the COGR’s narrative doesn’t align well with biblical teachings. There is no clear or compelling evidence that the Book of Revelation mentions the COGR or its apostles. Instead, the COGR integrates its narrative into the text, interpreting the Bible through the lens of its mythology.
[1] The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Ro 11:25–27.
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