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The Only Guaranteed Way to Escape End-Time Catastrophes

CHAPTER 6

PHILADELPHIANS KEEP GOD’S WORD AND HOLD FAST TO WHAT THEY HAVE


After Jesus Christ commends the Philadelphians for doing God’s work through the open door of mass media with perseverance, enthusiasm and fiery zeal, they are commended for keeping God’s word and counseled to hold fast to what they have.  Revelation 3:8, 11: “8…for you have…kept My word…11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”

This admonition also contains a warning.  If the Philadelphians do not keep God’s word and hold fast to what they have they could lose their crown, meaning their one and only chance for salvation.

The same lesson can be learnt from Jesus Christ’s admonition to the Sardis era of His Church contained in Revelation 3:2-4: “2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent…4 You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.”

In His message to the Sardis era of His Church that just preceded the Philadelphia era which started with the preaching of Mr. Armstrong, Jesus Christ admonished that Church also to strengthen the things which remain, meaning the truths in terms of the doctrines they had.  That era was also told to hold fast to what truth they had and repent.

The author has read a fairly detailed history of that era of God’s Church.  Just like the Philadelphia era, that era was also heavily infiltrated by Satan’s agents.  Because of their method of governance through voting, many of these infiltrators were in positions of power.  They simply would keep some controversy or the other about doctrines and fundamental beliefs constantly stirred up.  Eventually Satan’s agents gained power through voting and began changing doctrines.  Those who wanted to keep ‘the things that remained’ had to separate themselves from the main body as it happened in the Philadelphia era of God’s Church after Mr. Armstrong was taken away by death.  Jesus Christ says there are “a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.”  Ultimately only a few scattered families stayed loyal to the truth they had.  The main body of that Church was completely taken over by Satan’s agents.  That remnant still masquerades around as God’s Church in name, but is run by tares.

The lesson for all members of God’s Church from the Sardis and Philadelphia eras is that each and every member’s ultimate responsibility is to the truth God restored through Mr. Armstrong and not to any leader, or organization.  They follow a leader or be part of an organization as it follows the truth God restored through Mr. Armstrong.  When persecution through the seventh resurrection of the so-called “Holy Roman Empire” of the German beast and the false prophet of the Roman Church starts, each of us may have to give an answer for our beliefs as possibly isolated individuals and stand loyal to the truth.  A Church leader may not be able to collectively answer for your beliefs.  You as an individual will have to answer for your own beliefs.  So you must thoroughly understand the fundamental beliefs or doctrines of God’s Church as restored by Jesus Christ through Mr. Armstrong.

The question then is, what does keeping God’s word mean, and what do the Philadelphians have that they are to hold fast to?

Keeping God’s word simply means living according to every word of God (Matthew 4:4, Luke 4:4 – “…man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God) in the Bible, because the Bible is God’s complete word in print.

This raises another issue.  All those in mainstream Christian Churches who profess to be devout Christians and live according to their faith with their utmost sincerity say they live their lives according to every word in the Bible.  And yet they radically differ in their beliefs from God’s Church.  So how are Christians in God’s Church different from devout Christians in mainstream Churches, and what are they required to hold fast to?

The answer is that something extremely important happened in the Philadelphian era of God’s Church.  God sent a prophet, and much more than a prophet, an apostle, to start the Philadelphian era.  And that prophet and apostle was Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong. God’s sending of that prophet and apostle was prophesied more than 2,400 years ago by Malachi the prophet and then by Jesus Christ Himself more than 1,900 years ago.

Doctrine can be established only by an apostle

Members of God’s Church need to understand that doctrine can only be established by an apostle and not by a prophet or any doctrinal committee of ministers or scholars.  How then does God’s Church receive its doctrines, beliefs and teachings?  As the Church began in 31 A.D., all doctrines were laid down by the apostles who learnt them from Jesus Christ.  So God’s Church gets its doctrines direct from God, through Jesus Christ as the head of God’s Church, and from Him through the apostles. Never by scholars, or a doctrinal committee of ministers or any others!  This is how the original Church got its doctrines, and that is how the Philadelphia era of God’s Church received them, from Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong.  Mr. Armstrong understood that and taught it to the Church.

God commands His Church in 1 Corinthians 1:10 that we all ‘speak the same thing.’  That ‘same thing’ is what Jesus Christ established in His Church through His apostle.

Proof that Herbert W. Armstrong was the Apostle Jesus Sent

How do we prove that Herbert W. Armstrong was the chosen apostle Jesus Christ sent?

Sending of an end-time prophet and apostle was prophesied.  Malachi the prophet prophesied that God would send one in the spirit and power of Elijah the prophet.  He wrote in Malachi 4:5-6: “5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 6 And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."

Malachi also wrote in 3:1-2: “1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me...”

The Day of the Lord is the last one year of the Great Tribulation.  This means that one in the spirit and power of Elijah would come in the end time to prepare for the second coming of Jesus Christ to earth.

Then Jesus Christ Himself clarified in Matthew 17:11: “10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias [Elijah] must first come? 11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. 12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed [wished]…13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.”

Because this prophet was to come in the spirit and power of Elijah, he would fulfill the role that Elijah the prophet fulfilled in ancient Israel.  In Elijah’s time Israel had departed from the true God and had started worshipping Baal and other pagan gods.  In the entire nation only 7,000 were left who had not worshipped Baal.  Elijah came and restored worship of the true God in ancient Israel.  So the modern Elijah would fulfill a similar role.  He would restore correct worship of the true God in spiritual Israel, which is God’s true Church.

John the Baptist came and prepared the way for the first coming of Jesus Christ.  But when Jesus discussed this prophecy with the disciples, John the Baptist had already come and been beheaded by Herod. He could not have restored anything after his death.  This means that the prophecy Jesus gave was about an end-time Elijah that would come and prepare the way for the second coming of Jesus Christ by restoring all things, meaning the truths concerning the true God, all the true doctrines and the right way to worship God.  Malachi also prophesied that the Elijah would come just before the Day of the Lord.  And the Day of the Lord is in the end time.  It is the last one year of the three and a half year long Great Tribulation.

What are the “all things” Jesus referred to that one coming in the spirit and power of Elijah would restore?  Just as the original Elijah restored worship of the true God in ancient Israel, and one in the spirit and power of Elijah before the first coming of Jesus Christ, meaning John the Baptist restored the worship of the true God in the correct way, another prophet in the spirit and power of Elijah would be sent before the second coming of Jesus Christ to restore the worship of the true God in the right way.

There was no New Testament Church when the original Elijah and John the Baptist came.  So they could restore the worship of the true God only based on the understanding provided by the prophets before them.  But for the end-time Elijah, the restoration of all things would also additionally require restoring all the doctrines laid down by Jesus Christ and established by the apostles in the original Church, the knowledge of which had been lost over the centuries.

And the Elijah to be sent in the end time is twice mentioned by Jesus Christ as more than a prophet in Matthew 11:9 and Luke 7:26: “But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.”

In Church rankings only an apostle ranks higher than a prophet as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:28: “And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.”  Mr. Armstrong thus was more than a prophet in Jesus’ words because he was an apostle as well.

Since only an apostle can establish doctrine, that is why it is absolutely critical to understand what truths Mr. Armstrong restored to His Church and hold fast to them as Jesus counsels His Church to do in His message to the Philadelphian era.

This end-time commission of an Elijah-like prophet was so important that in August-September 1917, Mr. Armstrong was appointed to fulfill this commission through a dream to his wife Mrs. Loma Armstrong which he described in Volume 1 of his autobiography, pages 203-205.

In the dream Mrs. Armstrong was with Mr. Armstrong and saw a solid mass of brilliant stars filling the sky and then vanishing.  She realized these were angels.  Then 3 angels appeared and one of them then put his arm around both of them.  The angel told them that Christ was really coming in a very short time.

Mr. Armstrong writes: “At that time, we had been going quite regularly to motion-picture theatres.  She asked the angel if this were wrong.  He replied Christ had important work for us to do, preparing for His coming – there would be no time for “movies.”

Yes, Mr. Armstrong was specifically commissioned to prepare for the second coming of Jesus Christ to earth.  He restored all things as Jesus prophesied about the end-time Elijah who was also an apostle.  That is why it is absolutely crucial for our salvation and eternal life to adhere to what God restored through Mr. Armstrong in the end-time.

James describes in James 5:10 the mark of a true prophet of God: “10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.”

The mark of a true prophet of God is suffering and patience.   Here then is what suffering Mr. Armstrong endured patiently to found the Philadelphian era of God’s Church, as described in his two volume autobiography, available free of charge from the Philadelphia Church of God at its web site www.pcog.org.

Mr. Armstrong mentioned several times that he spent 28 years in grinding poverty.  In his autobiography he described how many times there was no food in the house with little children, housing was always a problem, much of the time he usually had only one threadbare suit to wear and the family was clothed with mended used clothing, how he had to battle ministers and wolves in sheep’s clothing who had entered the Church and tried to destroy it in its infancy.

He had to struggle to start Ambassador College.  After that effort was successful and God’s Church started growing Satan was implanting tares in the Church regularly.  Then these infiltrators led rebellions in the early 1970s and late 1970s when leading evangelists and ministers caused splits in the Church and led away thousands of members from the Church.   At one time they induced the state of California to put the Church in receivership, impound all its assets and take over the Church.  But Mr. Armstrong’s explanation through advertisements in the Wall Street Journal of what the Attorney General of California was doing was illegal led to the lawsuit being withdrawn and the receivership proceedings ending.  This was another attempt by Satan that could have destroyed the Church.

God built the Philadelphia era of His Church through the blood, sweat and total selfless sacrifice of Herbert W. Armstrong.  Surely no man with his own intelligence and strength could have overcome all the obstacles that Mr. Armstrong overcame to establish the Philadelphian era of God’s Church.  We hope the reader can see that Jesus Christ Himself was leading His end-time work through Mr. Armstrong.  His lifelong suffering for the sake of God’s work proves that he was a true prophet of God.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Herbert W. Armstrong’s Life

Further proof that Herbert W. Armstrong was the one sent in the spirit and power of Elijah the prophet and an apostle by Jesus Christ is provided by the fulfillment of many prophecies in his life that the end-time Elijah and apostle was to fulfill.

1)  Elijah the Prophet

We have already seen that Mr. Armstrong fulfilled the prophecy of Malachi the prophet as coming before the dreadful day of the Lord which is the last one year of the three and a half years of the Great Tribulation.  He also fulfilled Jesus Christ’s prophecy that he would restore all the doctrines and truths to God’s true Church before His return to earth. He restored more than 20 major doctrines or truths to God’s Church which will be listed shortly.

2)  Preaching the Gospel as a Witness Unto All Nations

One of the major prophecies fulfilled in our time, of course, is Matthew 24:14, which states: “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.”  It all started with Mr. Armstrong. He first of all restored the knowledge that the gospel is about the reestablishment of the Kingdom of God on earth, and started preaching it.  It went global beginning in 1953 when it began to be preached in Europe after having been preached only in the North American continent.Since Mr. Armstrong’s death, though the Church has divided into different organizations, all those that adhere to what was restored through Mr. Armstrong still continue to preach the same gospel around the world.  Though the funds available to all the Church of God groups are a fraction of what was available to Mr. Armstrong, because of the Internet, the reach of the gospel message has increased manifold. The gospel message is accessible to more people than ever before at even lower cost.  It has truly gone global because at least some people on earth in every country understand English and can read the gospel message.  In addition it is available in all other major languages of the world.

The author since December 2, 2006 has been preaching the same gospel of the Kingdom of God that we learnt from Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong.  There can be no more dramatic fulfillment of this prophecy than every human being on earth being able to hear these messages every Saturday or Sabbath Day at 9 a.m. (USA Eastern Standard Time) in his or her own language.

3)  Fulfilling the Prophecy that One Man Would Start and End an Era of the Church

God actually founded the modern era of His Church through Mr. Armstrong.  The modern era which we identify as the Philadelphian era began with the preaching of Mr. Armstrong around the fall of 1928 and ended with his death on January 16, 1986.  Then began the Laodicean era of God’s Church!  This is indicated by certain prophecies.

Zechariah 4:9 states: “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, his hands shall also finish it.”

Mr. Armstrong told all the Church members that he fulfilled this Zerubbabel office. His entire ministry is testimony to the fact that Mr. Armstrong built the house, which is a symbol for an era of the Church, by restoring all things.  Mr. Gerald Flurry, pastor general of the Philadelphia Church of God explains this prophecy in his booklet Malachi’s Message (available free of charge at www.pcog.org) on p. 59:

“When the Bible refers directly to Christ doing the building, it is usually stated as “not made with hands” (2 Corinthians 5:1), or something is accomplished “without hands” (Daniel 2:45), or “a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands” (Hebrews 9:11).“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it …” (Zechariah 4:9). This verse is clearly talking about a “hands-on” operation.

“It twice mentions hands, designating a starting and finishing of a project. The Anchor Bible Commentary says “hands” is literal, and expresses participation in temple building. That is, it was built through a human being with “hands,” not built “without hands”—as Christ does it without the use of a human instrument.

“Mr. Armstrong wrote a letter to the Church on March 19, 1981. Here is an excerpt from that letter: “Zerubbabel built the second temple to which Jesus came the first time. John the Baptist prepared the way before the FIRST coming. But WHO was to build the SPIRITUAL temple to which Christ shall soon come the second time? Who was to prepare the way before His Second Coming?

“Remember, God does things in DUAL stages. As Zerubbabel built the first temple of MATERIAL stone, wood and other materials, he was a forerunner or type of one through whom Christ would raise up or build the SPIRITUAL TEMPLE—His Church of our time, prior to the Day of the Lord and Christ’s Second Coming. As John the Baptist prepared the way in the PHYSICAL wilderness of the Jordan River for the first coming of the HUMAN Jesus (both man and God), then coming to His MATERIAL temple, and to His PHYSICAL people Judah, ANNOUNCING the Kingdom of God to be set up more than 1,900 years later, SO God would use a human messenger in the SPIRITUAL wilderness of 20th-century religious confusion, to be a voice CRYING OUT the gospel of the KINGDOM OF GOD, about the SPIRITUAL CHRIST, coming in SUPREME POWER AND GLORY to His SPIRITUAL TEMPLE, to actually ESTABLISH that spiritual KINGDOM OF GOD.

“Brethren, HAS THAT BEEN DONE BY THIS CHURCH?

“Did God raise up a one-man LEADERSHIP to be used by Him in building this spiritual TEMPLE and in proclaiming after 1,900 years the true GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN ALL THE WORLD—to even go to kings and heads of nations (Revelation 10:11)—in bringing the Church back to the FAITH ONCE DELIVERED (Jude 3)?

“HAS THIS HAPPENED, IN YOUR DAYS, AND HAS GOD BROUGHT YOU INTO THIS PROPHETIC FULFILLMENT AS A PART OF IT?

“HAS ANYONE ELSE DONE IT?”

“Did Mr. Armstrong think one man would and did fulfill this prophecy? Absolutely! He speaks of “one,” “a human messenger,” “a voice,” “a one-man leadership”—and then ends by asking, “HAS ANYONE ELSE DONE IT?”

“Mr. Armstrong continued: “God has never removed a man called to a specific leadership or assignment or commission until his mission is COMPLETED.” Did Mr. Armstrong complete his mission? Did he finish “this house,” “restore all things” and “turn the hearts of the fathers”? He most certainly did!

“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of THIS HOUSE; his hands shall also FINISH it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you” (Zechariah 4:9). “House” is a very common word in the Bible. In the Englishman’s Hebrew and Chaldee Concordance, where “house” is used, the scriptures cover 13 PAGES. The word “temple” in the same book covers only ONE FOURTH OF A PAGE. “Temple” is not used here—and “temple” is not nearly as common in the Bible as the word “house.”“The word “house” can mean an “inner part”—or only a part of something greater. It’s a name given to human bodies as being frail and transitory (Job 4:19). The word is used as “tent” (Genesis 27:15; 33:17). It is used as the “house of the spider” (Job 8:14). It’s applied to wealth, property and all that belongs to a family. All uses of this word are very temporary (like a Church era). The word temple is used in a more permanent way or to indicate a very long period of time. For example, the word “temple” often applies to ALL SEVEN CHURCH ERAS. It also applies to ETERNAL LIFE.

“The subject is “this house” and IS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE SEVEN CHURCH ERAS (Zechariah 3:7-8; 4:2, 10; Revelation 1:20). If we put all the scriptures together, it could just as well be called “this era.” And Zerubbabel did finish it. Mr. Armstrong not only laid the foundation, as we often say today—HE BUILT THE WHOLE HOUSE. When he died, the PHILADELPHIA ERA WAS COMPLETED. He restored all things (Matthew 17:10-11). No more foundational doctrines need to be added to the house. ALL WE NEED TO DO IS WALK IN Mr. Armstrong’s FOOTSTEPS…Primarily, we just need to maintain the “house” and do God’s Work.”

So Mr. Armstrong did lay the foundation of this house, the Philadelphia era of God’s Church, and also finished it.  The Philadelphia era ended when he passed away on January 16, 1986.  But he had completed building the ‘house.’  His task was to ‘restore all things’ to God’s Church, meaning the doctrines and other truths about God’s way of life Jesus Christ taught to the original apostles.  So no more doctrines would need to be added.  There were many controversies raised by tares or infiltrators in the Church about doctrines along the way.  But when Mr. Armstrong died all doctrines had been settled so that the Church now knows that we have all the truths concerning doctrines for God’s Church.  The house has been completed.   And since all doctrines have been restored, there is no need for another apostle to be sent in the end time to restore what has already been completely restored, and none is prophesied to come.

4)  Mr. Armstrong’s Coming and Passing Away Were Prophesied

Some current Worldwide Church of God leaders have argued that since Mr. Armstrong believed that most of the end-time prophecies (one of them being that Mr. Armstrong would likely be one of the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11) would be fulfilled in his own life time, and he died without them being fulfilled, all these prophecies have failed.  Hence the Bible is not reliable and is thus not God’s word, or that we should get our eyes off prophecy.  It is true that Mr. Armstrong believed at one time that most of the prophecies would be fulfilled in his life time.  And most of us in God’s Church believed that too. So when Mr. Armstrong died, it was a shock for all of us. It shook the faith of some in what they believed.  And many left God’s Church because of that.

But does this mean that all prophecies have failed now that Mr. Armstrong is dead? No, not at all!  All this means is that prophecies have not been fulfilled as we understood and interpreted them at that time, because we did not understand them perfectly AT THAT TIME.

The author too was jolted when Mr. Armstrong died.  However, he never stopped believing that what Mr. Armstrong taught was the truth, because he had proved to himself that every doctrine and truth taught was backed up by the Bible.  But for many in God’s Church, Mr. Armstrong’s death was a turning point.  Their faith was shaken.  If you are one of them and have stopped believing in what Mr. Armstrong taught, then here is proof that Mr. Armstrong’s death was not a failure of prophecy, but was in fact its fulfillment.  What we mean to say is that Mr. Armstrong’s death was actually prophesied in the Bible.  It’s just that we did not understand this prophecy when Mr. Armstrong died.Actually there are two prophecies, explained in great detail by Mr. Gerald R. Flurry, in his book “Malachi’s Message,” that pointed to Mr. Armstrong’s death, but the Church misunderstood them.

The first prophecy is Zechariah 4:9, which has already been explained.  It states, “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me unto you.”

When the task of finishing the house, or restoring all the doctrines to the Church had been completed, Mr. Armstrong died.  So actual events have proved that this prophecy did not mean that Mr. Armstrong would not die till almost the return of Jesus Christ to earth, but that he would not die till he had finished the task of “restoring all things” to the Church.  But he would die after completing the job.

We can actually further prove that Mr. Armstrong’s death much before the return of Jesus Christ was not a failing of prophecy, but its fulfillment. That proof is provided by another prophecy in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 (NKJV): “1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness [or iniquity] is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

Mr. Flurry has explained this prophecy in great detail in “Malachi’s Message.”  Here is how this prophecy was also about Mr. Armstrong’s death.

In these verses Paul was explaining to the Thessalonians to not give up their normal lives and just wait for the return of Jesus Christ.  He explained that Jesus Christ will not return to earth until there will be a falling away from the faith, meaning God’s Church, for only God’s Church has the true faith.  In addition, Jesus Christ will not return until the ‘man of sin’ who causes the falling away is revealed.

As most prophecies in the Bible are dual, this prophecy is also dual.  Usually duality means that there has been a former fulfillment of prophecy in ancient times, and there will be another greater fulfillment in the time of the end.  But there is also another duality that characterizes many prophecies. There is one fulfillment of such prophecies in the world at large, and another fulfillment in God’s Church.  This prophecy in 2 Thessalonians is one such prophecy with a fulfillment in the world and the Church.

The “man of sin to be revealed” mentioned here sits in the temple.  Temple in prophecy means God’s Church, as well as the physical temple at Jerusalem. This means that ‘the man of sin’ in the end time will be in God’s Church, as well as another one in the world whom Jesus Christ will destroy at His coming.  Revelation 19:20 describes this ‘man of sin’ in the world as the false prophet, whom Jesus Christ will destroy by having him thrown alive in the lake of fire.

This prophecy shows that “the man of sin” in the Church will actually cause the ‘falling away’ from the Church.  And the ‘man of sin’ had to be revealed in the end-time.  We have already seen the dramatic fulfillment of this prophecy in the Church.  If Mr. Armstrong knew the beliefs Joseph W. Tkach Sr. held in secret, he would have never appointed him pastor general.  But the “mystery of iniquity” that was working with Joseph Tkach Sr., meaning those helping him, was so well hidden that most Church members and Mr. Armstrong had no clue about it.  If he knew, he would not have appointed Joseph Tkach Sr. as pastor general and his successor in the Church.

But now read verses 7-8 again: “7 For the mystery of lawlessness [or iniquity] is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed…”

Verse 7 says “only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.”  This means that the “mystery of iniquity” (or the synagogue of Satan – Revelation 3:9) that was at work in the Church during Mr. Armstrong’s time was actually restrained by Mr. Armstrong.  He had to put down 2-3 major rebellions in the Church, and would not allow these tares or infiltrators to change any doctrines.  He restrained their influence.  Then verse 7 says that “he [meaning Mr. Armstrong] who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.”  Mr. Armstrong restrained the working of this “mystery of Lawlessness.” But then he was taken out of the way by death.  Then the “mystery of iniquity” perpetrated by the synagogue of Satan within God’s Church under Joseph Tkach Sr’s stewardship began to work openly.  Thus the ‘man of sin’ in the Church was revealed.

This is the second prophecy about the death of Mr. Armstrong well before the return of Jesus Christ.  Those of us who have kept the faith were rewarded with this understanding of the fulfillment of prophecy, even further strengthening our faith.

No man in his life and death can fulfill so many Bible prophecies and not be the man these prophecies mention.  It is simply impossible for a man to fulfill all these prophecies by mere coincidence.  So we can be certain that Mr. Armstrong was the prophesied Elijah and apostle to come who came and restored all truths to God’s Church in the form of major doctrines and prepared the way for Jesus Christ’s second coming.  That’s why members of God’s Church need to hold fast to what God restored to His Church through Mr. Armstrong.  We just need to maintain the house God built through him.

Doctrines of the Church

So what are the doctrines and fundamental beliefs God restored to His Church through Mr. Armstrong?  Among all of God’s Churches that adhere to what Mr. Armstrong taught, the best statement of the doctrines and beliefs that Mr. Armstrong taught is stated in the United Church of God (UCG) booklet titled “Fundamental Beliefs of the United Church of God.”  I counsel every member of God’s true Church and all those who want to learn the beliefs of God’s Church to obtain their free copy from the UCG at its web site www.ucg.org.  All these beliefs are proven with detailed scriptural references in the booklet.  Some of these doctrines may seem too fantastic, or too good to be true to those brought up in the world’s mainstream churches and may not believe them.  That is why it is absolutely critical to read all the scriptures stated therein which provide the basis for each doctrine.  These doctrines are based on the Bible and are not a figment of anyone’s imagination.

Here are the twenty major doctrines restored by Mr. Armstrong as stated in the UCG booklet:

1.  God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit

We believe in one God, the Father, eternally existing, who is a Spirit, a personal Being of supreme intelligence, knowledge, love, justice, power and authority. He, through Jesus Christ, is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. He is the Source of life and the One for whom human life exists. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who is the Word and who has eternally existed. We believe that He is the Messiah, the Christ, the divine Son of the living God, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born in human flesh of the virgin Mary. We believe that it is by Him that God created all things, and that without Him was not anything made that was made. We believe in the holy spirit as the Spirit of God and of Christ. The Holy Spirit is the power of God and the Spirit of life eternal.  The holy spirit is not an individual entity like God the Father and Jesus Christ as part of a Trinity, but is the spirit energy of God the Father and Jesus Christ.

2.  The Word of God

We believe that Scripture, both the Old and New Testament, is God's revelation and His complete expressed will to humanity. Scripture is inspired in thought and word, infallible in the original writings; is the supreme and final authority in faith and in life; and is the foundation of all truth.

3.  Satan the Devil

We believe that Satan is a spirit being who is the adversary of God and the children of God; Satan has been given dominion over the world for a specific time; Satan has deceived humanity into rejecting God and His law; Satan has ruled by deception with the aid of a host of demons who are rebellious angels, spirit beings who followed Satan in his rebellion.

4.  Humanity

We believe that humanity was created in the image of God with the potential to become literal children of God, partakers of the divine nature. God formed humanity of flesh, which is material substance. Human beings live by the breath of life, are mortal, subject to corruption and decay, without eternal life, except as the gift of God under God's terms and conditions as expressed in the Bible. We believe that God placed before Adam and Eve the choice of eternal life through obedience to God or death through sin. Adam and Eve yielded to temptation and disobeyed God. As a result, sin entered the world and, through sin, death. Death now reigns over all humanity because all have sinned.

5.  God’s Law and Sin

We believe that sin is the transgression of the law. The law is spiritual, perfect, holy, just and good. The law defines God's love and is based upon the two great principles of love toward God and love toward neighbor. It is immutable and binding. The Ten Commandments are the 10 points of God's law of love. We believe that breaking any one point of the law brings upon a person the penalty of sin. We believe that this fundamental spiritual law reveals the only way to true life and the only possible way of happiness, peace and joy. All unhappiness, misery, anguish and woe have come from transgressing God's law.

6.  The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ

We believe God so loved the world of helpless sinners that He gave His only begotten Son, who, though in all points tempted as we are, lived without sin in the human flesh. That Son, Jesus Christ, died as a sacrifice for the sins of humanity. His life, because He is the creator of all humanity, is of greater value than the sum total of all human life. His death is, therefore, sufficient to pay the penalty for every human being's sins. In paying this penalty He has made it possible, according to God's plan for each person and for humanity as a whole, for us to have our sins forgiven and to be released from the death penalty.

7.  Resurrection of Jesus Christ after Three Days and Tree Nights in the Tomb

We believe that the Father raised Jesus Christ from the dead after His body lay three days and three nights in the grave, thus making immortality possible for mortal man. This was the sign that Jesus gave as proof that He was the Messiah or Savior and fulfilled it.  He thereafter ascended into heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.

8.  Repentance and Faith

We believe that all who truly repent of their sins in full surrender and willing obedience to God, and who by faith accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, have their sins forgiven by an act of divine grace. Such individuals are justified, pardoned from the penalty of sin and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, which literally abides within them and supplies the divine love that alone can fulfill the law and produce righteousness. They are baptized by the Spirit into the Body of Christ, which is the true Church of God. We believe in a true change in life and attitude. Only those who have the indwelling presence of, and are being led by, the Holy Spirit are Christ's.

9.  Water Baptism and Laying on of Hands

We believe in the ordinance of water baptism by immersion after repentance. Through the laying on of hands, with prayer, the believer receives the Holy Spirit and becomes a part of the spiritual Body of Jesus Christ.

10. The Sabbath Day

We believe that the seventh day of the week is the Sabbath of the Lord our God. On this day we are commanded to rest from our labors and worship God, following the teachings and example of Jesus, the apostles and the New Testament Church.

11. The Passover

We believe in observing the New Testament Passover on the night of the 14th of Abib, the anniversary of the death of our Savior.

12. The Festivals or Holy Days of God

We believe in the commanded observance of the seven annual festivals that were given to ancient Israel by God; were kept by Jesus Christ, the apostles and the New Testament Church; and will be observed by all mankind during Christ's millennial reign. These festivals reveal God's plan of salvation.  All seven of the festivals are stated in Leviticus 23.

13. God’s Food Laws

We believe that those meats that are designated unclean by God in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 are not to be eaten.

14. Military Service and War

 We believe that Christians are forbidden by the commandments of God from taking human life directly or indirectly and that bearing arms is contrary to this fundamental belief. Therefore, we believe that Christians should not voluntarily become engaged in military service. If they are involuntarily engaged in military service, we believe they should refuse conscientiously to bear arms and, to the extent possible, refuse to come under military authority.

15. Promises to the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob

We believe in God's enduring righteousness. That righteousness is demonstrated by God's faithfulness in fulfilling all the promises He made to the father of the faithful, Abraham. As promised, God multiplied Abraham's lineal descendants so that Abraham literally became the "father" of many nations. We believe that God, as promised, materially prospered Abraham's lineal descendants Isaac and Jacob (whose name He later changed to Israel). We believe that God, through Abraham's Seed, Jesus Christ, is making salvation available to all humanity regardless of physical lineage. Salvation is not, therefore, a right of birth. It is freely open to all whom God calls, and those who are regarded as descendants of Abraham are those of the faith, heirs according to the promises. We believe that the knowledge that God has fulfilled and continues to fulfill the physical promises made to Abraham and his children, and that He is fulfilling the spiritual promise through Jesus Christ, is critical to understanding the message of the prophets and its application to the world.

16.  God’s Purpose for Mankind

We believe God's purpose for mankind is to prepare those whom He calls—and who elect through a life of overcoming sin, developing righteous character and growing in grace and knowledge—to possess God's Kingdom and become kings and priests reigning with Christ at His return. We believe that the reason for mankind's existence is literally to be born as spirit beings into the family of God.

17. The Church

We believe that the Church is that body of believers who have received and are being led by the Holy Spirit. The true Church of God is a spiritual organism. Its biblical name is "the Church of God." We believe that the mission of the Church is to preach the gospel (good news) of the coming Kingdom of God to all nations as a witness and to help reconcile to God such people as are now being called. We believe that it is also the mission of the Church of God to strengthen, edify and nurture the children of God in the love and admonition of our Lord Jesus Christ.

18. Tithing

We believe in tithing as a way of honoring God with our substance and as a means of serving Him in the preaching of the gospel, the care of the Church, attending the festivals and helping the needy.  Tithing means a tenth of our income.

19. The Resurrections and Eternal Judgment

We believe that the only hope of eternal life for mortal humans lies in the resurrection through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We believe that at the return of Jesus Christ a resurrection to spirit life will take place for all who have been God's faithful servants. We believe that after Jesus Christ has ruled on earth for 1,000 years there will be a resurrection to physical life of the vast majority of all people who have ever lived. We believe that, after these people have had an opportunity to live a physical life if they become converted they, too, will receive eternal life. We also believe that those who reject God's offer of salvation will reap eternal death.

20.  Jesus Christ’s Return and Coming Reign in His Kingdom on Earth

We believe in the personal, visible, pre-millennial return of the Lord Jesus Christ to rule the nations on earth as King of Kings and to continue His priestly office as Lord of Lords. At that time, He will sit upon the throne of David. During His 1,000-year reign on the earth, He will restore all things and establish the Kingdom of God forever.

Those are the doctrines and fundamental beliefs that God restored to His end time Church through one in the spirit and power of Elijah the prophet and an apostle He sent.  That prophet and apostle was Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong.  These are the doctrines and fundamental beliefs Jesus Christ admonishes members of His Church to hold fast to till the very end of their lives.  Holding on to these beliefs is what is meant by ‘keeping God’s word.”  Holding on to these beliefs is one aspect of maintaining a Philadelphian attitude that is the only sure way of escaping the Great Tribulation by being taken to a place of safety by God.

Mr. Armstrong's Impact on the World

In addition to restoring all things, Mr. Armstrong also had other major impacts on the world with his teachings.  Briefly here are the major influences he had on the world:

1)  The world perhaps does not know how much of an impact Mr. Armstrong had on debunking the theory of evolution.

Theory of evolution was taking hold of the minds of humanity when Mr. Armstrong was born in 1892.  Humanity was being led to believe that all life evolved by itself out of nothing and that there is no God who created anything. Hence belief in an awesome Creator God was being undermined.

The theory of evolution had built up great momentum and its Satan guided proponents were labeling those who did not believe in it as ‘ignorant’ ‘unlearned fools.’  Honest scientists who saw evidence that disproved the theory were being hounded out of academia by being labeled as unscientific idiots.  Thus any opposition to the theory of evolution had been effectively silenced.

Mr. Armstrong was forced to prove whether the theory of evolution was correct or a Creator God indeed created everything.  He did prove that the theory of evolution is a hoax perpetrated on mankind and indeed a Creator God created everything.  If God created everything, then we owe our very being and everything else to Him.  He should be the center of our world.

It was through Mr. Armstrong’s writings that all of us became members of God’s true Church.

It’s not that some scientists and religionists had not questioned the theory of evolution before Mr. Armstrong.  He read their writings and proved to himself that the theory of evolution is a hoax.  But their voice was bludgeoned into silence.  They were afraid of losing their teaching and research jobs and their livelihoods.  Many religionists did not want to open their mouths for fear of being labeled as ‘unscientific idiots’ and many had tried to develop agreements between the Bible and the theory of evolution.  This was undermining the veracity of the Bible and the world was beginning to believe that stories in the Bible were myths.  It was undermining belief in the existence of God and thus God’s law. Those were the beginnings of lawlessness in society that we see today.

But Mr. Armstrong forcefully debunked the theory of evolution and it is through his writings that we in God’s Church came to disprove the theory of evolution and came to know the true God as our awesome Creator.  That was the beginning point of restoring us to the true worship of the true God.

2)  He proved that God makes incredible promises to human beings and keeps them.

He did this by proving that God kept all His promises to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Judah and King David in blessing their descendants the British, American, Jews and people of the northwestern European democracies materially above all peoples on earth.  Promises of everlasting kingship to David have been fulfilled in the British royal family.  On that basis, humans can believe that God will also keep His promises to all of humanity to grant eternal life and make them rulers of the universe.  That is quite clearly stated in Deuteronomy 4:19 (NIV) : 19 And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars--all the heavenly array--do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.”  Thus all the stars and their planets in the universe have already been apportioned to nations of the world to colonize.

3)  He proved and taught that God requires us to keep His Laws.  That means keeping God’s commandments is absolutely essential to loving God and is critical to worshipping the true God in the right way.  It is an essential requirement for salvation.

4)  Mr. Armstrong taught us that the true gospel is the good news of the reestablishment of the Kingdom of God on earth after Jesus Christ returns and stops man from annihilating all life on earth.  It is not only about forgiveness of sins through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and salvation.

5)   God restored the true knowledge of what is salvation and God’s plan of salvation for mankind only to His Church through Mr. Armstrong, and that salvation is not going to heaven and gazing at God’s face for eternity but qualifying to receive the free gift of eternal life as God’s literal sons and daughters and ruling first the earth and then the entire universe.

6)  Besides Jesus Christ, before Mr. Armstrong came on the scene, no other human being had much of an understanding of prophecy?  The prophets certainly did not understand the prophecies they wrote because prophecies were sealed till the time of the end.  Understanding of prophecies was unlocked and revealed to Mr. Armstrong.  He unlocked the mysteries of the various beasts of the books of Daniel and Revelation.

7)  Mr. Armstrong also exemplified God’s way of life, showing that it is a way of the highest quality and beauty.  That was demonstrated in Ambassador College winning the award for the most beautiful campus three times.

The quality of the campus and the lives of the students made the college world famous among world leaders which led to Mr. Armstrong being invited to meet with them, thus providing an incredible opportunity to preach the gospel to them.

8)  Another major impact Mr. Armstrong had on the entire world was by explaining God’s purpose in creating sex through his book “The Missing Dimension in Sex.”  (You can obtain a free copy at www.pcog.org).  The book has had a great liberating influence on the world, freeing humanity from the taboos and feelings of guilt that had become associated with sex, including the pain some may cause due to ignorance.

Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong truly was a prophet in the spirit and power of Elijah the prophet and an apostle who restored true worship of the Creator God, preparing the world for the second coming of Jesus Christ in great power to take over the kingdoms of the world and establish God’s Kingdom on earth.


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