Armstrong and the old Worldwide Church of God
From time to time I have been asked my opinion of Herbert W. Armstrong and the Worldwide Church of God.
Let me begin by saying that I do not agree with everything Armstrong taught. However Armstrong taught many truths that were definitely on the cutting edge for his time.
The very name “Church of God” though still using gentilized terminology was a Scriptural name, as the Body of Messiah is generally referred to in the Ketuvim Netzarim (the so-called “New Testament”) as the “Assembly of Elohim” (for which reason WNAE takes the name “Worldwide Nazarene Assembly of Elohim”).
Armstrong taught seventh day, evening to evening Sabbath observance, while exposing the pagan origins and nature of Sunday Worship.
Armstrong taught the Scriptural feasts (which also happen to be the Jewish Holidays) while exposing the pagan origins and nature of the Pagan holidays like Halloween, Christmas and Easter.
Armstrong also criticized pagan customs in general, not just Pagan holidays and Sunday worship.
And long before the so-called “Two House” movement, Armstrong was teaching:
“The peoples of the United States, the British Commonwealth nations, and the nations of northwestern Europe are, in fact, the peoples of the Ten Tribes of the House of Israel. The Jewish People are the House of Judah.”
-The United States and Britain in Prophecy, ninth ed. P. 144; Herbert W. Armstrong
Not long before his death in 1986, Armstrong finally came to the following far reaching conclusion:
"Satan has deceived this world's churches into the
belief that God's law was done away-that Jesus, rather than paying the
price in human stead for transgressing the law, did away with
it-"nailing it to his cross." The expression used by Protestants
"nailing the law to his cross" can mean only one thing. This is
Satan's teaching that by being nailed to the cross, Christ
abolished the law, making it possible for humans to sin with impunity.
What actually was nailed to the cross was Christ our sin bearer, who
took on himself our sins, paying the death penalty in our stead, so
that we are freed from the ultimate penalty of sinning, not made free
to sin with impunity. The very basic teaching, belief AND DOCTRINE OF
God's true Church therefore is based on the righteousness of and
obedience to the law of God."
-Mystery of the Ages; Herbert W. Armstrong p. 274
Unfortunately Armstrong died before he was able to fully explore and implement the far reaching implications of this astounding revelation. Armstrong had realized that it was not just the Sabbath we should be keeping, not just the Holy Days, not just bits and pieces of the Torah, but that the Torah had never been done away with at all. Had Armstrong lived to fully implement this revelation, the old WWCG would have started wearing Tzitzit (Numbers 15:37-41) putting a mezuzah on the door (Deut. 6:8-9; 11:18-20), wearing tefillin (Deut. 6:8; 11:18; Ex. 13:9; 13:16; Mt. 23:5) etc.
For this reason I say that in a world that was blind, Armstrong saw with blurred vision.
Let me begin by saying that I do not agree with everything Armstrong taught. However Armstrong taught many truths that were definitely on the cutting edge for his time.
The very name “Church of God” though still using gentilized terminology was a Scriptural name, as the Body of Messiah is generally referred to in the Ketuvim Netzarim (the so-called “New Testament”) as the “Assembly of Elohim” (for which reason WNAE takes the name “Worldwide Nazarene Assembly of Elohim”).
Armstrong taught seventh day, evening to evening Sabbath observance, while exposing the pagan origins and nature of Sunday Worship.
Armstrong taught the Scriptural feasts (which also happen to be the Jewish Holidays) while exposing the pagan origins and nature of the Pagan holidays like Halloween, Christmas and Easter.
Armstrong also criticized pagan customs in general, not just Pagan holidays and Sunday worship.
And long before the so-called “Two House” movement, Armstrong was teaching:
“The peoples of the United States, the British Commonwealth nations, and the nations of northwestern Europe are, in fact, the peoples of the Ten Tribes of the House of Israel. The Jewish People are the House of Judah.”
-The United States and Britain in Prophecy, ninth ed. P. 144; Herbert W. Armstrong
Not long before his death in 1986, Armstrong finally came to the following far reaching conclusion:
"Satan has deceived this world's churches into the
belief that God's law was done away-that Jesus, rather than paying the
price in human stead for transgressing the law, did away with
it-"nailing it to his cross." The expression used by Protestants
"nailing the law to his cross" can mean only one thing. This is
Satan's teaching that by being nailed to the cross, Christ
abolished the law, making it possible for humans to sin with impunity.
What actually was nailed to the cross was Christ our sin bearer, who
took on himself our sins, paying the death penalty in our stead, so
that we are freed from the ultimate penalty of sinning, not made free
to sin with impunity. The very basic teaching, belief AND DOCTRINE OF
God's true Church therefore is based on the righteousness of and
obedience to the law of God."
-Mystery of the Ages; Herbert W. Armstrong p. 274
Unfortunately Armstrong died before he was able to fully explore and implement the far reaching implications of this astounding revelation. Armstrong had realized that it was not just the Sabbath we should be keeping, not just the Holy Days, not just bits and pieces of the Torah, but that the Torah had never been done away with at all. Had Armstrong lived to fully implement this revelation, the old WWCG would have started wearing Tzitzit (Numbers 15:37-41) putting a mezuzah on the door (Deut. 6:8-9; 11:18-20), wearing tefillin (Deut. 6:8; 11:18; Ex. 13:9; 13:16; Mt. 23:5) etc.
For this reason I say that in a world that was blind, Armstrong saw with blurred vision.
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