Honey, I (the LORD) shrunk the church
Published at: New Times Los Angeles/December 4, 1997
By Ron Russell

Note: New Times LA is a now-defunct alternative weekly newspaper that was published in Los Angeles, California by New Times Media from 1996 to 2002. Wikipedia Owner: Village Voice Media; Founded: August 22, 1996; Final issue date: 2002

This file is posted on

https://culteducation.com/group/1236-world-wide-church-of-god/22317-honey-i-shrunk-the-church.html and
https://www.ronrussell.org/honey-i-shrunk-the-church

Foreword: by Andy Yparraguirre, Administrator, Time-To-Measure Website

Ron Russell’s choice of title for this piece, “Honey, I shrunk the Church” was apparently derived from the movie “Honey, I shrunk the kids”. In this exposé, Ron Russell quoted from sources familiar with the Worldwide Church of God that seem to lend credence to his findings on the malaise that afflict the Armstrongist sect leading to its diminution.

A resident of Portland, Oregon, Ron Russell claims on his website that he is a former fellow at the Center for International Journalism at the University of Southern California, holder of a master’s degree in international journalism from the USC Annenberg School of Communication & Journalism, and Magna Cum Laude graduate of UCLA, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Latin American Studies. From all indications, he is well prepared to cover a whole gamut of issues and events. This time, however, he wandered into the sacred grounds of the Worldwide Church of God in search for a pot of gold. He didn’t seem aware of an earlier attempt by a California Attorney General to make this Church a milking cow, but he became a laughing stock instead.

For his part, Belo Alvaran had served for four years as Political Reporter at the Philippine Embassy in Tel-Aviv and still writing at present for the website GenZConservative. Starting in 2006, he had led a small group of scattered WCG members into an intensive review of Scriptures and WCG doctrines lasting 10 years. Of Jewish extraction, he was, and still is, a firm believer of “Armstrongite” teachings which he began observing in the 70s at age 20.

In this post, Belo Alvaran will expose this Ron Russell’s magnum opus as a slew of concoctions, distortion of facts, and a collection of canards that WCG misfits and dissidents had spouted for long much earlier of him. He will show that this article is nothing but a hit-piece meant to discredit Christ’s loyal Apostle Herbert W. Armstrong in the eyes of those that he continues to lead in God’s righteousness even from his grave.

Ron Russell’s discussions are in BLACK, Belo Alvaran’s responses are in RED;

Let Ron Russell begin:

After renouncing founder Herbert W. Armstrong as a false prophet, the Worldwide Church of God is in upheaval. So why is new leader Joseph Tkach, Jr. smiling?

Belo Alvaran’s response:

The Worldwide Church of God did not renounce Herbert W. Armstrong, it was Joseph Tkach Sr. and his son Joseph Tkach Jr. who did. The Tkaches are not the Worldwide Church of God, they are HIRELINGS! God, who owns the Church, hired them for his own purposes which we shall discuss as we go on.

John 10:12 (KJV, Christ speaking) …He that is an HIRELING, and NOT THE SHEPHERD, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees: and the wolf catches them, and scatters the sheep.

Ron Russell’s choice of title for this article is immediately fallacious in that nobody could have “shrunk” the Church of God except the God who founded it in the first place. This is called ‘misattribution’.

For the uninitiated like Ron Russell, the Church is, in God’s drawing board, designed as a school for His children around the globe so that only God the Father himself reserves the right to found one and, depending on the need, to enlarge or shrink it, or shut its doors as he sees fit.

Rev 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

Let Ron Russell continue:

Only a small stone marker denotes the final resting place of Herbert W. Armstrong, the one-time advertising salesman who carved out a GLOBAL RELIGIOUS EMPIRE complete with THREE UNIVERSITIES, a magnificent 50-acre headquarters in Pasadena, and legions of followers.

Belo Alvaran’s response:

Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong did not carve out a global religious empire. He founded on God’s behalf an international school. One year before his death, in a Special Edition of Worldwide News dated June 24, 1985, on page 4, Mr. Armstrong wrote:

“We in the CHURCH are STUDENTS, and we are in the time of final exams….” (End of quote, emphasis supplied.)

The readers will agree that students do not remain forever in grade school, or even in college. They do graduate sometime. For a clear biblical reference, Paul wrote about governors and tutors or teachers:

Gala 3:29 (KJV, Paul speaking to his converts) And if you [be] Christ’s, then are you Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

…4:1 Now I say, [That] the heir, as long as he is a child, differs nothing from a servant, though he (will be) lord of all; 2 But (the heir) is under tutors and governors UNTIL the time APPOINTED OF THE FATHER.

The word “UNTIL” in Gala 4:2 cited above means there is an end to the services of governor and tutors. Clearly, tutors and governors have a tenure in the Church of God which God the Father prescribes. We can say therefore that Mr. Armstrong was our governor and his ministers our tutors.

WCG members would remember that we are training for TEACHING positions in God’s Kingdom, hence we need instructors, classrooms and teaching aids all of which God provided through the services of Mr. Armstrong during his day.

CHRISTIANITY’S BUSINESS IS TEACHING

2Tim 2:1 (KJV, Paul’s letter to Timothy) You therefore, my son…2 …the things that you have heard from me…the same COMMIT (or TEACH) you to faithful men, who shall be able to TEACH others also.

Isai 30:20 (KJV, the LORD revealing his plan to the Israelites in the not-too-distant future) And [though] the Lord (shall) give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not your TEACHERS be removed into a corner any more, but your eyes shall see your TEACHERS: 21 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This [is] the way, walk you in it, when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left.

WCG members are being trained to be among those “invisible” teachers speaking behind their ears!

Let Ron Russell continue:

So pervasive was (Mr. Armstrong’s) influence that, in the decade since the 94-year-old “prophet” and founder of the Worldwide Church of God died in 1986, the faithful have continued to gather at his grave in Altadena on the anniversary of his death TO PRAY FOR HIS RESURRECTION.

Ron Russell’s initial salvoes were all duds – he couldn’t even tell the right designation of the WCG leader he was writing about, indicating he didn’t do his homework. This hit-piece is obviously not his best.

To set his record straight, Mr. Armstrong was an APOSTLE, not a PROPHET. The difference is that a prophet’s task is mainly secretarial taking dictation from God while an apostle is one HIGHLY TRUSTED and sent forth on missions of long duration to the people of God’s choice to introduce Him and TEACH them His ways. Mr. Armstrong was known worldwide as an EDUCATOR and was even conferred the degree of Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa by Angeles University, a Catholic school of good standing in the Philippines. In the accolade, the university referred to him as “Citizen of the World” because that’s what he was: a teacher sent from God. No wonder his influence was SO PERVASIVE indeed that no man of his generation, even the heads of this world’s two most populous religions, comes close to be compared. This alone is a huge proof that GOD WAS WITH HIM!

Mr. Armstrong, however, never referred to himself as a “Prophet” believing that God had already declared in the Bible everything that will happen in this world and the destiny of His elect.

Isa 46:9-10 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, (10) Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

God has no known prophet at present so that anyone flaunting this title must be “self-styled”!

WHO PRAYS BEFORE A TOMBSTONE?

The praying part in Russell’s intro was definitely a made-up scenario. No WCG member in his right mind would pray for anyone’s resurrection, much less before a tombstone! As God’s loyal servant and part of the spiritual body of Christ, Mr. Armstrong’s fate was sealed at his death. No amounts of prayers could ever change that. In the tomb, there is nothing he could do to right the wrongs he had committed nor improve on the shortcomings of his work.

Ecc 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

All WCG members HAD BEEN TAUGHT how to pray, what to pray for and – where to do it, which is definitely not in a public place like a cemetery. To do so would be a direct contravention to Christ’s instructions long expounded by WCG ministry at sermons and in print:

Matt 6:6 (KJV, Christ speaking to his disciples) But you, WHEN YOU PRAY, (this is the HOW) enter into (this is the WHERE) your CLOSET, and when you have shut your door, pray to (this is the WHOM) your Father which is in secret (this is WHAT will happen when you do that); and your Father which sees in secret shall REWARD you openly.

RON RUSSEL CAN BE BRIAN WILLIAM’S SUCCESSOR

As an aside, Ron Russell’s false testimony on WCG members praying in a cemetery is similar to Brian William’s false report that he was aboard a Chinook Helicopter when it was hit with a missile, but he wasn’t. For that he earned the title “King of Fake News”-

Source: https://memegenerator.net/instance/73630489/brian-williams-nbc-news-king-of-fake-news.

The King of Fake News needs a “Crown Prince” as successor and we have just found Ron Russell a highly qualified “Pretender to the Throne”!

Brian Williams “Prince” Ron Russell

KING OF FAKE NEWS PRETENDER TO THE THRONE

Let’s see more of Crown Prince Ron’s made-up reports, for curiosity’s sake!

Yet, THESE AREN’T JOYOUS TIMES (1997) for Armstrong’s flock (eleven years after HWA died in 1986)! Riven by the FAILURE of his END-OF-THE-WORLD PROPHECIES (no, this was not the issue at hand in 1997!) and shaken by latter-day revelations of his EXTRAVAGANT LIFESTYLE and ALLEGED INCEST (this is canard! This is just a hit-piece!), those once loyal to the man who billed himself as God’s modern-day Elijah HAVE FLED HIS CHURCH IN RECORD NUMBERS.

He mixed old and new issues here! End-of-world-prophecies was a hot topic in 1975 when the Church failed to flee because God did not provide a place of safety thus turning off those who came in just to save their skin. Indeed, there were WCG members who came in for the wrong reason, and also went out for the wrong reason.

To set the record straight, in 1997, they fled due to the DOCTRINAL CHANGES introduced in 1994 by the hireling Joseph Tkach Sr. They did not flee IN RECORD NUMBERS prior to that! This is another concocted and false report!

Let the Prince of fake news continue:

Many have joined splinter groups; others have RENOUNCED ORGANIZED RELIGION.

So, what! Even Christ could not keep dissatisfied disciples from leaving:

John 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, You seek me, not because you saw the miracles, but because you did eat of the loaves, and were filled….

…66 From that time MANY OF HIS DISCIPLES WENT BACK, and walked no more with him.

Let Prince Ron continue:

What makes the implosion of the once-prosperous Worldwide Church of God unusual — indeed unprecedented in modern American religious life — is that Armstrong’s followers haven’t so much abandoned the church as THE CHURCH’S NEW LEADERS APPEAR TO HAVE ABANDONED THEM.

What can be expected of hirelings? This time the Prince did hit the nail in the head!

John 10:13 (KJV, Christ speaking) The hireling flees, because he is an hireling, and cares not for the sheep.

However, God did have other reasons for letting those hirelings take over His Church.

NEW WCG LEADERS ARE EXAMINERS

The fact is, the new set of WCG leaders are “EXAMINERS” whom God the Father SENT to ADMINISTER THE FINAL EXAMS to his children to determine who are passing, and who are not! Obviously, there are flunkers. Paul’s and Christ’s instructions to God’s children are very clear:

2Th 2:15 (MKJV, Paul speaking to his converts) Therefore, my brothers, stand fast and hold the TEACHINGS which you have been taught, whether by word or by our letter

Rev 3:11 (KJV, Christ, Paul’s boss, speaking) Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast (the TEACHINGS) which you have (been taught), that no man takes your crown.

Let Prince Ron continue:

Under the stewardship of Joseph Tkach Jr., a 45-year-old former social worker, Worldwide’s LEADERS have set off a stunning exodus within its ranks by repudiating the revered founder and his most sacrosanct teachings.

TRUE OR FALSE EXAM

For WCG members, the repudiation was actually their FINAL EXAM. The exam was a very simple TRUE or FALSE! Foremost in the questionnaire is the DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY which is FALSE, according to Mr. Armstrong, and TRUE according to Mr. Tkach.

On page 45 of his Mystery of the Ages, Mr. Armstrong wrote:

“The FALSE Trinity teaching does limit God to three Persons. But God is not limited. As God repeatedly reveals, his purpose is to reproduce himself into what well may become billions of God persons. It is the FALSE Trinity teaching that limits God, denies God’s purpose and has palpably deceived the whole Christian world.”

On page 110 of his Transformed by Truth, Mr. Tkach wrote:

“The Bible insists there is but one God but makes it equally clear that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are God. That means the TRINITY must be TRUE.”

From all indications, those who said FALSE are passers and approved for higher studies in splinter groups, or in miniature home churches, or in school-of-hard-knocks for scattered members.

Those who said TRUE are flunkers. They are being retained in the same WCG class, now CGI, for a change to an easier counterfeit course that Christ obviously did not establish, and neither the prophets nor the apostles (HWA among them) had built upon!

1Co 3:9-11 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. (10) According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. (11) For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Those who went elsewhere searching for a new start were obviously drop-outs, confused and discouraged!

Let Ron Russell continue:

But the upheaval that has engulfed the organization involves more than merely doctrinal disputes. Among the many who have left are those who view Tkach and his colleagues as opportunists who’ve commandeered the religion for personal gain.

“They STOLE the church!” declares AARON DEAN, a former close aide to Armstrong. Dean belongs to Arcadia-based United Church of God, which claims 18,000 members, making it the largest of dozens of breakaway groups. “If you’re ethical and you’re someone in power who no longer believes,” he says, “YOU LEAVE AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. They’ve destroyed everything we stood for.”

It was obviously God’s way of showing TO HIS CHILDREN that grade school was over and that the disciples may proceed to the next level of learning.

At this juncture in his hit-piece, Ron Russell was leading the readers into a junk pile of his MADE-UP scenarios; dead dissidents’ complaints; old canards; concocted malfeasance of WCG leaders purportedly committed long way back to be verified; allegations of abuse during the early 30s in which both victims and perpetrators were long dead to speak out; and more purported statements from sources who unfortunately died earlier. There was nothing of value that we could glean from his writings because HE WAS PART OF THE TEAM OF EXAMINERS planting doubts on the learners’ minds, confusing them to see who will hold fast.

So, to ensure that we get it right, let’s pause here and focus our attention instead on HWA’s extant WORK record, calling and training to see if he was indeed God’s Apostle.

APOSTLE DEFINED

An Apostle, according to Thayer’s Bible Concordance, is one SENT FORTH WITH A MISSION ORDER to deliver a message addressed to a nation, or, as Christ commanded his 12 apostles, to ALL THE WORLD. Considering the scope and magnitude of an apostle’s assignment, we need to see HWA’s Ordination, his Mission Order, his Training, his Accomplishments, and, MOST IMPORTANT, whether HE WAS SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED or at least DISCERNIBLY PROPHESIED in the SCRIPTURES!

If he wasn’t, then we can safely say that he was a CHARLATAN, a FRAUDSTER and a DECEIVER! Then we, HIS DUMB FOLLOWERS, have spent some 50 years of our short existence believing a CONMAN! As one embittered lady blogger put it, HWA “deprived us of our potential!” The lady sounded so disconsolate over her upbringing by her “devotee of Herbert Armstrong” mother that her regrets seem unassuageable!

Source: https://www.ripleyjohnson.com/post/what-did-he-do-that-was-so-wrong-part-one

Under the circumstances, I ask everyone to check, and counter check, all the arguments and supporting evidence that I will present here and judge for yourself whether HWA was a man of God or a conman, and, after finding out what he really was, let’s find out the options available for us to carry on.

CHRIST WAS HIMSELF AN APOSTLE

It may not be common knowledge but Christ himself, while human, was an Apostle. Jesus was an apostle who sent forth other apostles. The modern term for this management practice is “delegation of power”. The one sent forth maybe called Delegate, or Representative, or Ambassador, or Apostle.

Hebr 3:1 (KJV) Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

Matt 10:5 (KJV) These twelve (disciples) Jesus sent forth…

God’s doctrines are DELIVERED by those He sent forth

Luke 10:22 (KJV, Jesus speaking) All things are DELIVERED to me of my Father: …

1Cor 15:3 (KJV, the Apostle Paul speaking) For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received…

Clearly, there is a flow of communications from God the Father, down to Christ, down to the Apostles.

Let’s look at Christ’s assignment. He apparently was NOT SENT by God the Father to do GREAT WORKS. Here was the LIMIT of his WORK:

Matt 15:22 (KJV) And, behold, a woman of Canaan (Gentile, most likely black) came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, [you] (Jesus) Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil…24 But he answered and said, I AM NOT SENT (by God the Father) BUT UNTO THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL.

The lost sheep of the House of Israel were in Judaea:

2Chr 11:1 (KJV, after the rebellion of the ten tribes of Israel under Jeroboam) And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he gathered of the HOUSE OF JUDAH and BENJAMIN an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen [men], which were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam. 2 But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 3 Speak unto REHOBOAM the son of Solomon, KING OF JUDAH, and to ALL ISRAEL IN JUDAH AND BENJAMIN, saying, 4 Thus said the LORD, You shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren: return every man to his house: for this thing is done of me. And they obeyed the words of the LORD, and returned from going against Jeroboam.

…13 And the PRIESTS and the LEVITES that [were] in all Israel (in Samaria under King Jeroboam) resorted to (King Rehoboam of Judah) out of all their coasts. {resorted…: Heb. presented themselves to him} 14 For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession (in Samaria), and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for (King) Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest’s office unto the LORD (in the House of Israel in Samaria):

Jesus sent forth his 12 apostles INITIALLY to the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel only:

Matt 10:5 (KJV) These twelve (apostles) Jesus SENT FORTH, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into [any] city of the Samaritans enter you not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the HOUSE OF ISRAEL (residing in Judaea away from the rest of the House of Israel. If they were residing with the majority of their members, then Jesus would not have called them “lost sheep”).

PROOF OF APOSTLESHIP

According to Christ, one proof that he was SENT by God the Father was his WORKS, limited though it was:

John 14:11 (KJV) Believe me that I [am] in the Father, and the Father in me: or else BELIEVE ME for the very WORKS’ sake.

Joh 5:17 (KJV) Jesus answered them (Jews), My Father WORKS hitherto, and I WORK.

2Co 12:12 (KJV, Paul proving his apostleship) Truly the SIGNS of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty DEEDS (or WORKS!).

Luke 7:19 (KJV) And JOHN (THE BAPTIST) calling [unto him] two of his disciples sent [them] to JESUS, saying, Are you he that should come? or shall we look for another?…22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things you have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised (proofs that God the Father is powerful, part of Christ’s work was to introduce God the Father), to the poor the GOSPEL is preached (that was his main task, but only in Judaea, not in all the world).

During one of his night visits with Christ, Nicodemus had this to say:

Joh 3:2 The same (Nicodemus) came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that you do, except GOD BE WITH HIM.

To emphasize, Christ’s WORK was God the Father’s WORK and Christ was simply a servant. In the same manner, the works of every apostle, including that of Mr. Armstrong, were all God the Father’s WORK.

GOD’S WORK ENLARGED

Before he went back to his father, Christ commanded his apostles to TEACH all nations, thus ENLARGING THE SCOPE OF THE WORK he was leaving behind, especially the PREACHING of the gospel. The word TEACH, as the margin says, means to MAKE DISCIPLES of ALL nations.

Matt 28:16 (KJV) Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them….18 And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, …19 Go you therefore, and TEACH (make disciples of) all nations…

Here is what Jesus said his apostles should teach:

…20 TEACHING them to observe ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER I HAVE COMMANDED YOU: and, lo, I am with you always, [even] unto the END OF THE WORLD.

Christ was certainly aware that his apostles would not live until the end of the world. In fact, they all died, or were killed, one by one. However, he prophesied that ONE MAN would do WORKS greater than what he and all his apostles had done:

John 14:12 (KJV) Verily, verily, I say unto you, he (ONLY ONE MAN) that believes on me, the WORKS that I do (of introducing God the Father, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God and baptizing people) SHALL he do also; and GREATER [works] than these shall he do; BECAUSE I GO UNTO MY FATHER.

In God’s appointed time, that ONE MAN appeared on the world scene and preached the COMING KINGDOM OF GOD. He also made disciples of all nations, as evidenced by the many congregations he put up around the world. We all know his name: Herbert W. Armstrong, the founder of the Worldwide Church of God.

Here is a quote from Mr. Joseph Tkach Jr.’s booklet “Transformed by Truth”, p. 132, electronic edition:

“When you hear the history of radio evangelism, you often hear of men such as Charles Fuller but almost never of Herbert W. Armstrong. Yet, an outsider who was not a committed evangelical Christian would ask, “Why are you leaving out one of the top radio and television ministries not only in the United States but the world?” In numbers and impact on his audience, Herbert Armstrong had far greater influence than many other ministries.”

CHURCH OF GOD SPLIT IN TWO

Mr. Armstrong’s “Mission Order” was issued sometime in the 30s by the OREGON CONFERENCE OF THE CHURCH OF GOD, which became the pioneer of the Worldwide Church of God. Here was how it came about, as Mr. Armstrong wrote on pp. 206-207 of his autobiography:

“…Actually, (the Oregon State Conference, the name of the new splinter group) was born of opposition to and dissatisfaction with the Stanberry Membership and State Conference (the name of the Mother Church)…

“…The (Oregon) state conference was agreed to and formed (and its officers elected, indicating the mother Church split into two and a new group was formed)…

Here was Mr. Armstrong’s MISSION ORDER:

“…At the close of this business meeting, the newly elected officers … asked me if I would HOLD AN EVANGELISTIC CAMPAIGN for them in the church building they rented in Harrisburg…

“Well, brethren,” I replied, “…If every one of you here at this meeting will pledge yourselves right now to devote not less than one hour every day to earnest and believing and prevailing PRAYER for the success of these meetings…then I will undertake this campaign.

“They agreed. THEY PLEDGED THEMSELVES TO THIS INTENSIVE PRAYER.

“I AGREED. I was brought one step closer to the ministry of Christ!

HWA ORDAINED

Mr. Armstrong was subsequently ordained by the laying on of hands. Here is the pertinent account in his autobiography, page 215:

“And let it be made plain here: I was ordained by, and under the authority of, the Oregon Conference of the Church of God (which became the pioneer of the Worldwide Church of God), separately incorporated; NOT by the Stanberry, Missouri, (Church of God) headquarters.” (End of quotes)

HWA’S CALLING

God called Mr. Armstrong through his wife who was more religious, which does not matter because a man and his wife are one (Gene 2:24). Here was the pertinent account on his calling in his Autobiography:

The Unrecognized Call (chapter 10, page 185, Autobiography, hardbound copy)

“One night my wife had a dream so vivid and impressive it overwhelmed and shook her tremendously…

“In her dream she and I were crossing the wide intersection…where Broadway diagonally crosses Sheridan Road. Suddenly there appeared an awesome sight in the sky above…the sky filled with a gigantic solid mass of brilliant stars, shaped like a huge banner. The stars began to quiver and separate, finally vanishing… another huge grouping of flashing stars appeared, then quivering, separating, and vanishing like the first.

“As she and I, in her dream, looked upward…three large white birds suddenly appeared in the sky…As they descended nearer, she perceived that they were angels…

“…from among these angels in her dream…Christ descended…and stood directly in front of us…HE PUT HIS ARMS AROUND BOTH OF US, and we were so happy! …

“…I have …come to believe that this dream was a bona fide (legitimate, genuine)call from God in the light of subsequent events…

Comment: The LORD said he would communicate directly with his prophets ONLY in two (2) ways:

Numb 12:5 (KJV) And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood [in] the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. 6 And he said, Hear now my words: IF there be a prophet among you, [I] the LORD will make myself known unto him (1) in a VISION, [and] (2) will speak unto him in a DREAM.

There were exceptions to the above ways, one was Moses:

Numb 12:7 (KJV) My servant Moses [is] not so (i.e., not spoken to by God in vision or dream)…8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold:…

Let Mr. Armstrong continue with his Autobiography:

“Certainly I did not ascribe this dream to God…I was twenty-five at the time. God left me to my own ways for five more years. But when I was age thirty, He began to deal with me in no uncertain terms….” (End of quotes).

To make his story short, HWA was called, even prepared by God to preach the gospel and to make disciples of all nations by making him go through varied experiences in life filled with lessons for him to draw upon.

HWA’S PREPARATIONS FOR APOSTLESHIP

HWA was not taught by any denomination – he was self-taught. Here is a portion on his autobiography detailing his conversion and baptism:

“My Experience Utterly Unique …

“…I did not belong to any particular religion, church or sect. I did not CHOOSE the clergy as a profession. Actually, …the profession I had chosen, …JOURNALISM and ADVERTISING — provided the very background, training and experience to fit me for what I was now being drawn into.

“…I had entered on the in-depth study of the Bible to prove my wife was wrong in a new religious belief….I had accepted the reality of the existence of God, and the authority of the Bible, ONLY AFTER finding incontrovertible PROOF…

“…I didn’t realize it yet, but I was being brought into His Ministry by the living Christ in a manner UTTERLY UNIQUE, and totally unlike any other of which I know!…

“Finally the study of the subject of baptism was completed. There was no longer doubt. Peter had said: “REPENT, and BE BAPTIZED every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38)…

“It was a command. There was no promise of receiving the Holy Spirit until after being baptized — although Cornelius, the exception to the rule, had been begotten by the Holy Spirit prior to baptism. Yet even he was commanded to be baptized IN WATER…

“And so I was baptized forthwith and without delay.

HWA WAS BAPTIZED

Here is a quote from Mr. Joseph’s Tkach, Jr.’s Transformed by Truth on HWA’s baptism:

“In the midtwenties Mr. Armstrong frequently consulted with an evangelical minister and (in 1927) was baptized by (Mr. John Marvin Dean, source: Wikipedia) the pastor of the Hinson Memorial Baptist Church in Portland, Oregon (a non-Sabbatarian church). Mr. Armstrong once said of this pastor, “The man is the most godly man in all of Portland.”(End of quote)

DID HWA DO GREATER WORKS THAN CHRIST’S?

John 14:12 (KJV) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and GREATER [WORKS] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

We will identify here HWA’s WORKS and ACCOMPLISHMENTS that were greater than Christ’s in fulfillment of Christ’s own prophecy:

• Editor-in-Chief of the Plain Truth Magazine of worldwide circulation is 6 languages, his instrument in preaching the gospel to “ALL THE WORLD”. His World Tomorrow broadcast was also one of the biggest buyers of radio and television airtime in the United States and in major western cities. By comparison, Christ preached only by word of mouth around Judaea;

• Chancellor of Ambassador College in three campuses where he trained scores of ministers. Christ trained only twelve;

• World renowned educator; Christ was addressed as Rabbi (teacher) only by some Jews, and in secret;

John 3:2 (KJV) The same (Nicodemus) came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God…

• Recipient of the degree of Doctor of Humanities Honoris Causa (conferred by the Angeles University Foundation, a prestigious private Roman Catholic university in Angeles City, Pampanga, the Philippines). By comparison, Christ was not honored even in his own country:

Mark 6:1 (KJV) And he (Jesus) went out from thence, and came into his own country (in Galilee beside the sea); and his disciples follow him. 2 And when the Sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing [him] were astonished, saying,..3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? AND THEY WERE OFFENDED AT HIM… 5 And he could there DO NO MIGHTY work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed [them].

• Internationally recognized Ambassador for World Peace without Portfolio and was awarded by the King of Belgium for his peace-making efforts. Christ was a “messenger of the gospel” and rejected at that:

John 1:11 (KJV) He (Jesus) came unto his own (people, the Jews), and his own received him not.

• Pastor General of the Worldwide Church of God with international membership around 150 THOUSAND and INNUMERABLE subscribers; Christ raised a church of only 120 MEMBERS:

Acts 1:15 (KJV) And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty)…

• According to Mr. Joseph Tkach, Jr., in his book Transformed by Truth,WCG’s annual income was about US$ 200 million, bigger than the COMBINED income of two leading Christian denominations in the U.S. Christ received donations which Judas would have stolen:

John 12:4 (KJV) Then said one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s [son], which should betray him, 5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag (of donations), and bare (carried away) what was put therein.

Matt 17:24 (KJV, Jesus telling Peter to procure a coin from a fish’s mouth to pay their joint taxes inidcating he didn’t have any money) And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute [money] (tax collectors or publicans) came to Peter, and said, Does not your master pay tribute? 25 He said, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, …27…lest we should offend them, go you to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first comes up; and when you shall have opened his mouth, you shall find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and you.

HWA’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS

After four (4) decades of following his “Mission Order” to the letter, here is Mr. Armstrong’s estimate on the number of people he had reached as mentioned in his MAY 29, 1967 co-worker letter:

“…It’s hard to realize how this Work — in which you and I are privileged to be Co-Workers — has grown to such worldwide POWER and SCOPE! It is exerting tremendous IMPACT on more than 150 MILLION PEOPLE around the world. THAT IS ABOUT EVERY TWENTIETH PERSON ON EARTH!

“The PLAIN TRUTH and TOMORROW’S WORLD have become mass-circulated magazines — now among the world’s largest…

“For example, our readership in India…(was) more than a quarter million…In Australia…quarter million! In the Philippines, 260,000! In New Zealand…50,000. …In Malaysia and Singapore…156,000…! Miscellaneous others in the Far East, 23,000…[T]he Dutch-language edition of The PLAIN TRUTH…approximately 52,500…! The German edition, circulating mostly in Germany, northern Switzerland and Austria…approximately 180,000! The Spanish edition…in Mexico, Central and South America…234,000…The French-language edition in France and western Switzerland… 114,000; in eastern Canada 63,000; and in the Caribbean Islands 18,000.

“…In Britain…456,000…In Scandinavian, other European, and North African countries, 84,000. In the British West Indies, 78,000. In islands out in the Pacific — such as Guam, Wake, Okinawa — 30,000. In Canada, not counting the eastern Canada French edition circulation, 500,000…!

“…[In] the United States…The PLAIN TRUTH has a readership of 4 to 5 MILLION people, and TOMORROW’S WORLD 1½ to 2 MILLION.”

“Add to all this the broadcasting by radio and television, and… the Work is reaching, worldwide, between 150 and 200 MILLION PEOPLE!

NEW PHASE OF THE WORK FROM 1967

“…Until recently we had reached…primarily the…masses of the common people — the RULED. …it NOW has become NECESSARY that we get directly to…THE RULERS!…Of myself — or with the HUMAN ability of our entire organization — it would, indeed have been IMPOSSIBLE!

“But — and I want you to REALIZE THIS SOBERLY — (an) unseen Hand from Someplace…had miraculously OPENED THESE DOORS…(End of quotes.)

Here is what Mr. Joseph Tkach, Jr. said in his book Transformed by Truth, page 129, as posted on the Internet:

“Herbert Armstrong’s mission seemed to change after the death of his first wife in 1967….he began to travel around the world on the church’s G-II (and later a G-III) jet to meet with foreign dignitaries.” (End of quote.)

Here were Mr. Armstrong’s own words, excerpted from his co-worker letter on May 28, 1971 describing the “new phase” of the Work that he started in 1967, which lasted for two decades:

“Dear Inner Family of Co-Workers:

“I am able, now, to disclose to you privately and confidentially the almost unbelievable manner in which giant doors have been opening before me. As you know, one after another, the doors have opened for personal meetings with presidents, kings, prime ministers — and many other high government officials, in many countries around the world.

“As I wrote you a month ago, all of a sudden this great Work has been catapulted onto a new and high plateau! It has been moved into a totally new phase.

“So many high-level personal conferences could not have opened to one in private life, in so short a time, by mere happenstance. I COULD NOT HAVE PLANNED THEM AND BROUGHT THEM ABOUT IF I HAD TRIED! As I now disclose these astonishing circumstances, I think you will see the providential guiding Hand maneuvering them!

“As I mentioned in my previous letter a month ago, the Work of necessity had to begin by reaching the grassroots — the masses of the common people — the ruled. We now are reaching more than 150 million of them. Think of it! — that is one in every twenty-three of all the people on earth, or one in every sixteen persons above age fourteen.” (End of quotes.)

That was in 1971! Many more had been added since then, even after his death in 1986. Here is a quote from Dr. Joseph Tkach, Sr.’s book Transformed by Truth:

“…[B]y the time he died in 1986 at the age of ninety-three, Mr. Armstrong left behind a church that attracted 120,000 people to services each week, with an annual worldwide income of about $200 million. The Plain Truthcirculation was more than eight million, while The World Tomorrow television program had risen to become one of the MOST WATCHED religious programs in America.

“… When you hear the history of radio evangelism, you often hear of men such as Charles Fuller but almost never of Herbert W. Armstrong. Yet, an outsider who was not a committed evangelical Christian would ask, “Why are you leaving out one of the top radio and television ministries not only in the United States but the world?” In numbers and impact on his audience, Herbert Armstrong (and his son, Ted) had far greater influence than many other ministries” (end of quotes).

This will remind us of the account in Revelation about the multitude who “stood before the throne” of God. Could Mr. Armstrong have something to do with them?

Reve 7:9 (KJV, John describing what he saw in vision) After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes (meaning they have heard the words of God through somebody’s worldwide preaching, repented of their sins, and were converted), and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God who sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

WAS THE LORD “WITH” HWA?

No one had noticed this before, but Mr. Armstrong’s last 19 years of international preaching starting in 1967 overlapped with two decades of peace and prosperity that prevailed worldwide. Here are the facts:

1. Absence of world war – the Vietnam War was simply winding down. It was in 1967 that US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara testified before a Senate subcommittee that US bombing raids against North Vietnam were largely ineffective, the movement of supplies to South Vietnam had not been reduced, and the economy and morale of the North Vietnamese had not been broken. The following year, the US and North Vietnam started formal peace negotiations in Paris which led 5 years later to the cessation of hostilities in 1972.

(Source: http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/vietnam/timeline.htm);

Certainly, there were minor incidences of violence, small wars, and natural disasters in some far-flung areas, but they were not serious enough to disturb the prevailing peace and quiet among the superpowers.

It was only in 1986, the same year Mr. Armstrong died, that the U.S. government passed a law designed to streamline her war making ability indicating PEACETIME was over. That US law was called the “Goldwater-Nichols Defense Reorganization Act of 1986” named after its proponents in the US Congress. This law is also called the “US Military Transformation” by some writers. Here’s an entry in the Wikipedia on the subject:

“The Goldwater-Nichols Act was an attempt to fix problems caused by inter-service rivalry…Under the Goldwater-Nichols Act, military advice was CENTRALIZED in the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs as opposed to the service chiefs…Thus CENTCOM (Central Command) for example, would be assigned air, ground, and naval assets in order to achieve its objective, not the inefficient method of individual services planning, supporting, and fighting the same war…

Five years later, the “transformed” US military launched its first war:

“… The first successful test of Goldwater-Nichols Act was the 1991 Gulf War (“Operation Desert Storm”), where it (Central Command) functioned exactly as planned, allowing the U.S. commander, Army General Norman Schwarzkopf, to exercise full control over Marine Corps, Army, Air Force and Navy assets without having to negotiate with the individual services.” (End of quote)

• In the Philippines, then President Ferdinand E. Marcos, who became President in 1965, imposed Martial Law in September 1972 and ruled by decrees until he was deposed in 1986, the same year Mr. Armstrong died. At that time, there were approximately 5,000 newly converted WCG members in the island republic who were able to regularly attend Bible study sessions and services during the two decades of peace and quiet. The Philippines is host to the third largest WCG memberships, the US being first, and the UK second.

• Absence of billion-dollar disasters, natural or man-made in the US and in the British Commonwealth territories. Note the increase in intensity of hurricanes starting in the 90s in the graph below:

(Source:https://www.statista.com/chart/11009/hurricanes-over-the-atlantic-basin/

• From 1967 up to 1986, there was an absence of severe droughts and famines even in drought-prone Africa

1. Central Gulf of Guinea countries and Tanzania: Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Tanzania, Togo — during the 60s, this group experienced several WELL ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL YEARS; The 1972 and 1984 drought years in Sahel (Group 2) were JUST SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL in this Group;

2. Sahel and Sudan: Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Chad, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Sudan — one of the DRIEST and most variable group in Africa; worst drought years correspond to 1983 and 1984. (meaning, before 1983, drought was “normal”)

3. Southern-central Africa and Madagascar: Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe — most of the area HAD NOT EXPERIENCED SERIOUS DROUGHT AFTER 1960, except in 1982, until it was hit by the 1991-92 drought;

4. East and West Gulf of Guinea: Cameroon, Central African republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone – these countries underwent LESS IRREGULAR RAINFALL (meaning regular) (albeit below normal)…during the 70s and 80s…

5. Southern Africa: Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland — were severely affected by the 1991-92 drought, which was the worst since the 1920s (meaning the years before 1991 were good!).

6. Horn of Africa and Kenya: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia— includes some of the driest places in the world; 1973 and 1984 were poor years (but not so bad) in parts of the region, but the good years goes back to 1981-1983;

7. Central-west Africa: Angola, Congo, Zaire – showed very “smooth” behaviour between 1964 and 1984, with a SLIGHT POSITIVE 1960-93 rainfall trend due to a run of wet and very variable years from 1985 to 1990.

8. Great lakes countries: Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda — recorded some very wet years in the early 60s, and a run of low rainfall years starting in 1987.

(Source: https://www.fao.org/3/au042e/au042e.pdf);

Clearly, Mr. Armstrong did GREATER WORKS THAN CHRIST. Nobody among his peers in the religious field could claim similar distinction and accomplishments. From all indications, by the time he died in 1986, he had preached the gospel “in all the world.”

Matt 24:14 (KJV) And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Comments: If the end shall come after Mr. Armstrong’s preaching, is there a need for another “Work” after him? Based on this statement of Christ, there should be no more “Work” today of preaching the gospel. Hence, the old WCG was destroyed!

THE RESTORED TRUTHS

It should be mentioned here that the word “restore”, Gr. apokathistemi, item 600 in Strong’s means “to reconstitute in health, home and organization.” These are mostly teachings on Christian living. The phrase “ALL THINGS” in Matt 17:11 does NOT mean all of God’s creation. This needs to be clarified to silence detractors saying he didn’t and couldn’t have restored all things.

Matt 17: 10 (KJV) And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come? 11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elijah truly shall first come, and restore ALL THINGS (only in health, home and organization).

Before we go on, we have to answer an important question: Is it possible for baptized WCG members to FOLLOW JESUS CHRIST but DISREGARD Mr. Armstrong and his teachings?

TRUE VINE HAD A BRANCH

The thing to remember is — Christ is the TRUE VINE, the apostles were branches and the converts were fruits of the branches. Christ likened Himself to a vine:

John 15:1 (KJV, Christ speaking to His own apostles) I am the true vine,… 5 …you (the apostles are) the branches:…16 You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ORDAINED you (lay members are not addressed here), that you should go and bring forth fruit, and [that] your fruit should REMAIN…

So, the question that we have to answer is: Can we be followers of Christ and not of Mr. Armstrong? The answer is obvious: No, we can’t! We cannot be the fruits — or followers — of Christ – because the vine does not bear fruit — the branches do. We are the fruits of one branch, and that was Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong. We cannot choose our branch. We are to REMAIN the fruits of that particular branch:

Another thing, fruits cannot detach themselves from a branch and re-attach to another branch. So, technically, we are, and should be, followers of Mr. Armstrong ONLY. Paul said the same thing to his own converts:

1Cor 11:1 (KJV, Paul speaking to the Corinthian brethren) Be you followers of ME, even as I also [am] (a follower) of Christ. (Note that they should not go directly to Christ)

The conclusion is undeniable — we, WCG members who were converted and baptized during the time of Mr. Armstrong, CANNOT be followers of Christ without being followers of Mr. Armstrong. We are the SEAL or mark or proof of his apostleship. We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit through his “hands” down the line. We cannot claim to be followers of Christ without and away from him:

1Cor 9:2 (KJV, Paul speaking to his converts) If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the SEAL (or mark or proof) of mine apostleship are YOU (converts, the fruits of his labor) in the LORD.

Hagg 2:23 (KJV) In that day (i.e., in our day, when Christ has gone to the Father), said the LORD of hosts, will I take you, O Zerubbabel, (only ONE MAN, the “he” who believes in God) my servant…(nobody fulfilled this role but Mr. Armstrong), said the LORD, and will make you as a signet (or seal): for I have chosen you, said the LORD of hosts.

Those who refuse to be identified with Mr. Armstrong are, in effect, refusing to be connected to the True Vine and, therefore, cannot be harvested by the Vineyard Manager.

John 14:6 (KJV) Jesus said…no man comes unto the Father (like harvested fruits), but by me (through his apostles or branches)

We came to Jesus Christ by Mr. Armstrong! True, Mr. Armstrong, in his effort to show humility, taught us not to call ourselves “Armstrongites” to avoid glorifying his name. But we should not go to the extreme of denigrating his name and denying his role in our conversion.

OUR MANDATE NOW

We have seen “incontrovertible proofs” that Mr. Armstrong indeed fulfilled many significant prophecies in the Bible having to do with our calling. God’s focus is now on us! We have a mandate to be mindful of:

2 Thes 2:15(KJV) Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions (teachings, MKJV) which you have BEEN TAUGHT, whether by word, or our epistle.

Revelation 3:11(KJV, Christ speaking)Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which you have (been taught), that no man takes your crown.

As for “Crown Prince” Ron Russell, it is now pointless to discuss further the remaining concoctions in his hit-piece. Besides, he had had his reward as he was probably paid well for collecting those calumnies and printing them as a journalistic piece by the now defunct New Times LA. Let him remain the Pretender to the Throne of the King of Fake News.

Administrator’s parting words:

We have shown incontrovertible proofs that Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA) was a teacher sent from God just before the close of this present age to teach and preach the gospel that Jesus preached (Matt. 4:23) like no other man had ever done, with great power and worldwide reach.

Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

He was a branch of the True Vine, Jesus Christ, and we are his fruits! We cannot allow kibitzers to denigrate and brand our branch, HWA, as “false apostle” to detach us from him and severe us from Christ and God!

The brethren are encouraged to join our team of HWA defenders by disseminating this article through the link to our website. We will also make available a copy in PDF for downloading.

We will be glad to answer questions on any point of interest from Church of God members, active or not. Here are our email addresses:

Andy Yparraguirre

luklok522000@yahoo.com ;

Belo Alvaran

beloalvaran@yahoo.com

God bless us all.

Andres N. Yparraguirre, Jr.

Administrator

Time-To-Measure Website