Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web

Herbert Armstrong's Tangeled Web

An Insider's View of the Worldwide Church of God

by David Robinson

John Hadden Publishers

Tulsa OK

1980

286 pages

The Truth Shall Make You Free: Herbert Armstrong's Empire Exposed

The Truth Shall Make You Free

Herbert Armstrong's Empire Exposed

John Tuit

(Tuit was the man who initiated the lawsuit brought by the Attorney General of California against Herbert W Armstrong, Stanley Rader,and other leaders of the Worldwide Church of God)

Published by

The Truth Foundation

Freehold Township, New Jersey

1981

307 pages

Excerpts to follow

The Broadway to Armageddon

The Broadway to Armageddon

by William Hinson

Former Minister of WCG

Published by

Religion In The News

Nashville TN

1977

Rip-offs-Hypocrisy-Fraud-Deaths-Medical Neglect-Drunkeness-Character Assassination-Spying-1975 Christ's Return- 1972 Flee to Petra (Armageddon's Knock)-Extravagance-lies-Hunger-Broken Homes-1975 in Prophecy-False Prophecies- Earthquakes-Adultery-Doctors Are of the Devil-Medicine

The Armstrong Empire: A Look at the Worldwide Church of God

The Armstrong Empire

A Look at the Worldwide Church of God

by Joseph Hopkins

Eerdmans Publishing

1974

304 pages

Excerpts to follow

Armstrongism: Religion...or Rip-Off - Expose: The Armstrong Modus Operandi

ARMSTRONGISM: Religion...or Rip-Off

Expose: The Armstrong Modu Operandi

By Former Staff Member

Marion J. McNair
339 pages

Pacific Charters-Publishing Division

Orlando, Florida

1977

Excerpts to Follow

Collecting Books

I started collecting books on Armstrongism 4 or 5 years ago.  My first was Robinson's Tangled Web. Then it just started growing after that.

When I first came to Pasadena in the mid 70's there were numerous books floating around.  Ambassador College mail was trying to stop students from receiving them at various times.   The Pasadena libraries were filled with anti-Armstrong books.

One day we were invited to Dean Blackwell's home on Pasadena Ave.  In his house and garage was his immense collection of books.  Being the book fiend I am I was in heaven.  What really struck me about Blackwell's collection was that he had many of the books that I have here/or will be posting here later on.  I figured if he could read them then there was no reason I should not!

Pasadena was always the target for many of these writers. Who can blame them!  Many of the writers quote Rod Meredith the most.  Next up is Herman Hoeh.

Meredith gets the most derision after Armstrong. Meredith was truly one weird dude! His tirades on submissive women, his anti-gay stupidity about white socks, pink polo shirts and manly exercise on the track, his bragging about spanking his second wife when she was rebellious, his totally off the wall articles on prophecy, and his scores of failed prophecies.  The list could go on and on.  He was and still is a one man show.

But sadly, like most WCG members I never paid any attention to the books.  They were just angry men or
ex-members attempting to destroy the one true Church.  If I did read them it was for titillation only then they were quickly forgotten.  What new dirt was being talked about, who was having sex with whom, what minister dared to stand up to HWA,  which evangelists wife had the latest meltdown, etc.  Then the book was thrown out because everyone knew if you got caught with a one of the books you would get fired or kicked out of the church.

When the Ambassador Reports started coming out employees headed down to Bungalow News to buy their copies.  The one magazine I still wish I had was the original "In Bed With Garner Ted".

I have to wonder what would have happened if I had really taken to heart the books about HWA and the WCG.  Life would certainly have been different!

I am always on the look out for new books, so if you have one in a forlorn bookcase and think it needs a new home, let me know!

Armstrongism: Is It The Plain Truth?

Armstrongism: Is It The Plain Truth

by Harold Berry

Back to the Bible

Nebraska

1974/1981 printing

Excerpts to follow

Armstrongism Is Confusion

Armstrongism is Confusion

A Workbook

by William R. McLin

Maxam Publsihers

El Monte CA

1973

Excerpts to follow

Herbert W Armstrrong and His Worldwide Church of God

Herbert W Armstrong And His Worldwide Church of God

An Exposure and an Indictment

by John Bowden

with an intropduction by Madalyn O'Hair

American Atheist Press

Austin Texas, 

1987

Excerpts to follow

The Armstrong Error: The Plain Truth of Herbert W. Armstrong

The Armstrong Error

The Plain Truth of Herbert W. Armstrong

A Reporters Involvement, Search and His Discoveries Involving Herbert W. Armstrong's "The World Tomorrow" Broadcast and "The Plain Truth" Magazine

by Charles F. DeLoach

Logos International

Plainfield, New Jersey

1971

Excerpts to follow

Radio Church of God

Radio Church of God

How its Teachings Differ From Those Of The Seventh-Day Adventists

by Harry W. Lowe

Pacific Press Publishing Association

Mountain View, CA

1970

Excerpts to follow

The Delusions of Herbert W. Armstrong

The Delusions of Herbert W. Armstrong

Rev. George Darby

Rev. Roy E. Knuteson

Rev. Roger F Campbell

Religion Analysis Service

Minneapolis MN

circa early 1960's

Excerpts to follow

Armstrong's Church of God: Doctrines of Devils

Armstrong's Church of God

Doctrines of Devils

No. 1

Exposing the cults of our day

by Salem Kirban

1970

Excerpts to follow

Herbert W. Armstrong And His World Tomorrow

Herbert W. Armstrong and His World Tomorrow

"Armstrong's Jewish Passover -- his Jewish Sabbath -- his Queen Elizabeth on David's Throne -- his Gospel -- his Christ -- his opinion of himself -- his opinion of everybody else."

by Noel Smith

Baptist Bible Tribune

Springfield, Missouri

1964

Author’s Note (Excerpt:)

I have tried to handle as gently as possible a man who claims that no authentic voice of Christianity was heard on this earth from the time that Titus destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple in A.D. 70 until the first week of January, 1934 – when Herbert W Armstrong suddenly appeared on the scene.  Obviously, Mr. Armstrong considers himself the only authentic voice of Christianity on earth today.

The gentleman has fared much better at my hands than he would fare at the hands of Peter, John and Paul. If they were here, they would clobber him mercilessly.

Noel Smith

Springfield, Missouri

September 1,  1964

Pg 9

How does he get the money? I suspect that, first of all, Mr. Armstrong knows the real nature of money and how to handle it, just as some men know the real nature of hogs and how to handle them. 

Pg 12

And so, according to Herbert W. Armstrong, from the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by Titus in A.D 70, “the Bridegroom tarried” and everybody “slumbered and slept” until the first week of January, 1934 –

When Herbert W. Armstrong came on the scene.

And so, according to Herbert W. Armstrong, nothing of genuine Christian significance and importance, nothing true of a genuine church occurred on this earth in the long period between Titus and the sudden appearance on the first week of January 1934, of Herbert W. Armstrong: not the hundreds of Christian martyrs who were thrown to the wild beasts by the Romans; not the fires that consumed the Polycarp’s; not the missionaries who took the Gospel to the pagans and savages; not Luther and Calvin and John Knox and the Reformation; not John and Charles Wesley and George Whitefield and the revival that saved England; ….

All of that, was according to Herbert W. Armstrong, was nothing more than the snoozes and snores of sleeping virgins.  The trumpet of genuine Christianity was not heard from Titus until Herbert W. Armstrong took it up, moistened his lips, and sounded it during the first week in January, 1934.

Churches that now are named after St. Paul should be named St. Armstrong.  And in addition to celebrating the Day of Pentecost, we ought to celebrate the Day of Herbert W. Armstrong.

Pg 16

God’s one and only prophet, pope, and business manager has, it seems, a most vexing time trying to get it into the heads of his flock that going to the feast celebrations is “not” a part of God’s worldwide work.  According to Herb, it were better that they shouldn’t attend at all than to, by doing so, cut down on the amount of cash they were supposed to be sending to Pasadena.

Pg 18

But Herbert W. Armstrong, virtually claiming to be the only true representative of Christianity to be found on this earth today, ignores Paul and goes back into the wilderness and hunts up the rags of ancient custom and uses them for patches on the arrogant, presumptuous, contradictory, carnal system of religion he concocted.

Armstrong said in that letter:

As I said then, this is frankly incomprehensible to me, as a servant and minister of God that some of he very PEOPLE of God could FORGET the day which commemorates the very death of their Savior!

That is completely false.  The Passover doesn’t commemorate the death of the Savior.  The Passover testified to the coming and death of the Savior.

In its historical context, the observance today of Passover doesn’t acknowledge the death of the Savior; it denies that He was ever born, that He never died.

Pg 27

His British Israelism

The CALLIOPE of Herbert W. Armstrong’s carnival of religion is British Israelism.  He tells us all about it in a pamphlet of his. “The United States and the British Commonwealth in Prophecy.”

But before he starts, he must of course inform us, by inference, that Herbert W. Armstrong is about the only man in 2,000 years who as had an intelligent and responsible understanding of the subject.

Pg 28

And then he says:

“If the throne of David ceased with Zedekiah, then it does not exist today.  And if it does not exist, how shall Christ sit upon a non existent throne?

And following this, Armstrong really goes to town.  And he goes shooting capitals, italics, and exclamations right and left, up and down.

Now here is Armstrong’s position:

That “forever” in the Davidic Covenant means that the Throne of David must be in “continuous” existence here on this earth.  Its historical continuity cannot be broken; if it is, God’s promise failed.  And if that throne is not in existence when Christ returns to this earth, how then can He possibly “sit upon”

It?

Pg 32

To digress for a moment, Herbert W. Armstrong there again brands all the great Bible expositors of the English-speaking world so-called” Bible students.  Nobody but Herbert W. Armstrong understands anything about the Bible worth speaking of.  If Herbert W. Armstrong were living in Balaam’s day and had to get about on an ass as did Balaam, his ass, from sheer disgust and self-respect, would dump him into the first chasm he came to.  There is such a thing as doing more boasting than an ass can stand.  There is such a thing as trying to degrade the dignity of an ass.

Pg 34

On this question of Jews and Israel never being used interchangeably in the Bible, of there being no Israelites in Palestine in the days of Christ and His Apostles, or Israelites having nothing to do with the official Jewish rejection and crucifixion (pg 25) of Christ, it is clear as Italian sunlight that somebody –

                Is hopelessly confused,

                Is hopelessly ignorant;

                Or that somebody

Is deliberately juggling the facts of history, is deliberately trying to bend and twist history to fit a pattern of his own, for a definite reason.

The presumption must be that it is not the writers of the Old Testament, not Christ and His Apostles, not Peter at Pentecost, not the early Christians; and certainly not

                The Holy Spirit.

With those eliminations, it could only be the only real Bible scholar and prophet on earth today.

Pg 35

And now, I have omitted a good deal of Armstrong’s context.  I have omitted most of his “linking together of Biblical history, prophecy, and Irish history.”  And because we have (pg 36) already seen how Armstrong “links” things together. I have omitted his ‘re-plantings” in Ireland and Scotland, and his “planting” in London. Herbert W. Armstrong is not only the greatest prophet on earth; he is one of the greatest re-planters and planters on earth.  He’s a card when it comes to planting. As to going with Herbert W. Armstrong on one of his tours of history, I prefer to watch the Wizard of Oz.

Here is the material, relevant, decisive thing about Armstrong’s daughters and kings, and re-planting and planting:

Armstrong says this about the Throne of David –

                Has been in continuous existence since the death of David; that it was

                Replanted in Ireland; that it was

                Replanted in Scotland; that it was

                Planted in London; that

                Queen Elizabeth is now sitting on it, that the throne of David will remain in London until the return of Christ

With absolute directness, the Bible brands Herbert W. Armstrong as either a consummate ignoramus or an out-and-out false prophet when he says the Throne of David has been in continuous existence since the death of David, that it was re-planted in Ireland, in Scotland, and planted in London.
There is the plain statement in Hosea 3:4

Pg 45

But Armstrong’s system is a different thing. His system holds the “Jews” alone responsible for the crucifixion. His system inherently holds that all white Americans and white English are hereditarily innocent.  If this attitude doesn’t inflate Anglo-Saxon pride and promote anti-Semitism, what could it do?

And his system emphasizes that God’s blessings in this age are upon white Americans and white English. That puts the Negro, the Japanese, the Chinese and all the rest of them outside the camp. They are to come in at the back door and eat at the second table.

Pg 54

Back to Armstrong. He ignores the spiritual and present Kingdom of God. His message is that men must be saved by believing the “message of God’s coming world government” of which Daniel wrote.

That’s Armstrong’s gospel.

If that means anything at all, it means that men are not saved by believing in something that is going to happen, not by believing in something that has already happened.

And logically it means more than that. It means that men are not saved by believing in a Person; they are saved by believing in a government.  They are not saved by grace through faith; they are saved by keeping the law.

Pg 60

Herbert W. Armstrong’s “true church” and his “World Tomorrow” propaganda are another of the scores of cults that have grown up in this country like weeds and Johnson grass in uncultivated fields of corn.

All of these cults have in common basic and decisive marks and characteristics that bluntly and crudely distinguish them from genuine Christianity.

In the first place, they are all boresomely proud and self- sufficient.  When angels appeared to the prophets and good men and women in Bible days, those prophets and men and women were terrified.  They went down into the dust.  But when an “angle” appeared to Joseph Smith – to hear him tell it – Joe lay there in his feather bed and talked with the “angel” as causally as if he were talking to a neighbor.  And where Moses commandments were inscribed in stones, Joe Smith’s were on plates of gold.

We have been listening to Herbert W. Armstrong tell us about how he is the greatest prophet, the greatest Bible scholar, and the greatest everything else that has hit the earth since the last Apostle died.

And the founders of all these cults, vain and proud as they have been and are, have received from God visions and truth that had been hidden from everybody else, including the Apostles.  If you know anything at all about the God of the Bible, as He has revealed Himself to us in the Bible, you know that God never has revealed revolutionary truth, or any other kind of truth, to people like the founders of these cults.

In the second place, these cults are uniformly lacking the universal sympathy and compassion of genuine Christianity.  Christianity is a weeping, deeply burdened, seeking religion.  Its great mission is that of seeking that which is lost.  That’s why genuine Christianity has always had its missions among the wretched and outcasts as well as its churches and cathedrals for the upper classes.  But when did you ever see a mission of one of these cults on a Skid Row or a Bowery?  When did you ever in your life see a tear of urgent and profound concern trickle down the cheek of one of these cult leaders?

Pg 61

In the third place, the preaching of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ has always been the Gospel of genuine Christianity.  And first and most basic of all, the death of Christ for sinners.  “We preach Christ crucified.” That proclamation has always been central and basic to genuine Christianity.

But the proclamation of the Cross never has been and is not now central and basic to these cults.  Herbert W Armstrong has great deal to say about sinners being converted.  But we have already seen what constitutes Armstrong’s gospel: the coming government of God on earth.

These cults don’t have the spirit of grace.  They don’t speak the language of grace.  They don’t sing songs of grace.  They don’t manifest the words of grace.

And they don’t smell of grace.

Is Herbert W. Armstrong God's Prophet?

Is Herbert W. Armstrong God's Prophet?

1972

Facts Of Our Faith

Hawthorne CA

Herbert Armstrong’s

“Year of Judgment”

1972

Not a Popular Task

Pg1

When we pointed out certain flaws in the teachings of another religious body, we were taken to task by some of our brethren for not just “preaching the Gospel,” leaving other matters alone.  It was thought more dignified, more profitable, and less reprehensible to simply leave out references to others.

In the first place, much of the Bible – New Testament especially- is taken up refuting the beliefs of other bodies who believed in God, some of who were Christian, and others, which were simply various sects of the Jews.  Of all the examples we know about, it would seem appropriate to take a cue from Paul’s writings, and from the council of elders which met in Jerusalem, and follow their example of answering problems which threaten to infect the body with false teachings.

We do not offer the evidences to be found in this tract with any sense of “glee” or “We told you so!”  The Scriptures are quite clear in denouncing the practice of railing against dignitaries.  We do not even hope that these matters will be the “downfall” of the work of the “Worldwide Church of God”; but if it does help bring pressure to bear in a manner to encourage them to make amends for certain false practices and teachings, we will be glad for that.  If it is the Lord’s will that spots, wrinkles and blemishes be removed from those who name the (pg2) name of Christ and we are able to help accomplish that, we will have served the Lord’s purpose.

Further, since we believe that they have fallen into a trap of their own devising, no doubt quite sincerely, we hope that our efforts help in bringing them closer to God.

They have made a basic error in their orientation to prophecy which amounts for the main portion of this pitfall, consisting of mainly supposing that the English-speaking peoples are the main body of the “lost ten tribes” of Israel.  Supposing that to be so, they apply many Scriptures to our own era of time which were actually fulfilled prior to the first coming of Christ, or in His first coming.

We hope that because the evidences given in this article you will take another look at the “British-Israel “teaching.”

We will not expect, n this tract, to discuss the Worldwide Church of God’s wrong doctrines as such; but rather indicate how that through flare for exciting headlines, italics, bold-faced type, capital letters, exciting pictures and “scare” tactics they have caught the attention of many people and have mislead them into support of a very obviously wrong interpretation of Scriptures.  They are obviously wrong because the time has come for the fulfillment of some of their teachings – prophecies – and they simply have not come to pass.

An apologetic was offered in February, 1972 Tomorrow’s World by H.W. Armstrong in which he sought to justify the positions which have they have taken.  We suggest that you read the article, beginning on page one.  We would suppose it represents a far statement of their position on the matter.

Pg 3

Not Prophets, Not Date Setters

Two particular points we would like for you to keep in mind as you read these proofs:  First, that although a disclaimer is published in the TOMORROW’S WORLD, February, 1972, for Herbert W. Armstrong’s status as prophet, this is not in accord with previous statements published as their PROOF that the work of their organization was indeed “THE VERY WORK OF GOD.”  Second, that although they now are ready to say, “As of the present I, and the majority of our historians in Ambassador College, and researchers in the School of Theology, feel that it is utterly unsafe to try to set dates in regard to future prophesied events…” that HAS NOT been their position. In fact, as you will plainly see, they have put themselves in the clear position of self-condemnation for their previous statements.

Rather than an apologetic, they should have published an apology. It is not enough for them to say, “We got a bit over-enthusiastic,” but a plain statement, “We have been dreadfully wrong” would help clear the air.

“Utterly unsafe to try to set dates” – they have learned a bit from their own experiences.  This is not so much because they have allowed this as a principle over the years, but it is a sad lesson which they have had to face up to IN SOME manner.   They have a distance to go yet on that. It may take some hundred years or so, as has been the case with another Sabbath-keeping organization, to show how their prophetess was not actually wrong even when some of her prophecies failed.  How much less work, how much more honorable, just to acknowledge quilt when one is guilty!

Others Challenged to “Be Specific”

In August, 1957, Roderick C Meredith wrote an article entitles, “America, Wake Up!”  This was published in the PLAIN TRUTH.  The statements following are from that article, pages 3, 5, 6:

“Where are God’s true prophets today? In this age of world chaos and sudden death, you had better rid your mind of preconceived ideas and prejudice and honestly seek to find out!” “Listen! This work has been warning America of definite and tremendous events to come for many years!”

“The popular, denominationally-supported evangelists often make statements like this: ‘I believe that God MAT use Russia to punish America for her sins.’ Or again, ‘you had better accept Jesus Christ now because he MAY come back to earth tonight, tomorrow night, or sometime very soon.’”

“They use the words ‘MAY,’ ‘COULD,’ pr ‘MIGHT.’ They are AFRAID to be DEFINITE and SPECIFIC.”  “The truth of the matter is that they dare not be specific about the future because they just do not know what the Bible says is going to happen!” “But on ‘The World Tomorrow’ broadcast and in this magazine we have dared to unlock the Bible prophecies and apply them to specific nations and events that are now being affected.  DO you grasp the significance of this?”

In the June, 1948 issue of this magazine, Mr. Armstrong was definite and specific on this point!  On page 4 of that issue, he wrote: “No such war between Russia and the Untied States is prophesied, contrary to many who profess to understand Bible prophecy!”  “Here is something TANGIBLE! It is either so or it isn’t so!”  “Here is something DEFINITE!  Here is something you can TEST and PROVE!”

On page five o that same article Mr. Meredith refers to earlier predictions of disease, followed by plagues or rabid animals, to take place during seven years which were to make up the punishment for the sins of America.  Then on page six he says: “But in the meantime, these prophecies are REAL! They are (pg 5) DEFINITE and SPECIFIC, They WILL come to pass!”  “You had better heed the warning!”  “There is no other church or work on the face of this earth that either understands or dares to proclaim these vital warning signs.”  “But God has said that his true ministers WILL warn the people before He intervenes in world affairs.  THIS IS THE VERY WORK OF GOD!”

When Mr. Meredith challenges other religious leaders to be specific and definite he needs to be reminded of several definite, specific predictions of Mr. H.W. Armstrong’s which have failed, several even back when he penned his article extolling Mr. Armstrong. In the August-September, 1940 issue of the PLAIN TRUTH, Mr. Armstrong unequivocally declared, ‘The Italians will capture both Palestine and Egypt,” Which of course they did not do!  From the December, 1956 issue of the PLAIN TRUTH, “This is now you can know who is teaching the truth today-when what he says comes to pass.”  On page four of this same issue, this was stated, “China will not revolt as the nations in Eastern Europe are recently doing.”  Mr. Armstrong was wrong again.

Another definite prediction for Mr. Armstrong’s which has failed regards his statement that Britain would not join the European Common Market of Nations: “Probably Germany will lead and dominate the coming United States of Europe. But Britain will be no part of it!”  1974 In Prophecy! Pages 4 and 5. : But your Bible reveals Britain will not be one of the ultimate ten nations that will untie to resurrect the finale restoration of this prophesied Roman Empire.” PLAIN TRUTH, October 1967, page 32

One Third to Die Within Fifteen Years

Garner Ted Armstrong wrote, in an article titled “America Is Losing a War,” PLAIN TRUTH, December, 1957, page 23” “Two years ago, Mr. Herman Hoeh showed in this magazine how God’s Word prophesied DISEASE EPIDEMICS would strike the United States in TWO SHORT YEARS!” “THOSE EPIDEMICS ARE BEGINNING NOW!”

“And they will grow MUCH WORSE!”

The fact of the matter is that the time within which that was predicted by them to happen has come and gone without anything (pg 6) happening which people would have though out of the ordinary, it someone had not been picking out isolated incidents claiming them to depict fulfillment!  That article was written or published in 1957. Seven years later would have ended in a year no later than 1964

These statements were made by Mr. Roderick Meredith about Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong’s predictions, with in a context of answering the question, “Where are God’s true prophets today!”  Mr. Meredith was obviously implying that the fulfillment of Mr. Armstrong’s definite predictions would establish him as a “true prophet of God.”

Mr. H.W. Armstrong, being editor of the PLAIN TRUTH, by consenting to the publication of that article was granting approval to those references of himself as a true prophet.  “God prophesies that finally, within the next fifteen years, fully ONE THIRD of our whole population will die of disease and famine!” (Shall we remind-that IS specific? Add fifteen years to December, 1957 – this takes you to December, 1972. You will see in later quotations the significance they attached to the year 1972.)  He continued: “While we are so weakened – with a monstrous problem of dead and dying in our lands, we will ‘call upon our ‘hired lovers’ such as Germany.” NO SUCH FAMINE OR EPIDEMIC OCCURRED!

Gospel Not To Be Preached After 1972

Rod Meredith’s article, “Man’s Greatest Battle,” printed in the PLAIN TRUTH, June, 1953, stated: “When we shall be so weakened by this terrible drought and starvation at home, our nation will be destroyed and conquered by a revival of Fascism in the coming great war.”  “Now if you will add these years of famine, tribulation and captivity, they will amount to at least ten years just prior to the ending of the times of the Gentiles.  That would mean that these events would probably begin about 1972, after which preaching the true gospel will no longer be possible.”

“This is a very significant date – 1972.”  “It is only 19 years from 1953, the year that the ‘World Tomorrow’ broadcast first reached Europe!  If you read the February issue of the ‘Good News’ you will recall that Mr. Armstrong wrote that (pg 7) January of this year, 1953, marked the completion of the first 19-year cycle which began in January 1934, when the ‘World Tomorrow’ broadcast first went on the air carrying the gospel of the Kingdom of God to North America.”

“Yes, it seems that God is allowing us another 19-year cycle to COMPLETE THE CARRYING OF HIS GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM TO THIS SICK AND DYING WORLD.  Since the beginning of January, nearly six months of these 19 years have already passed.  There is a tremendous job to be done in the very short period that lies ahead of us.” (Printed June, 1953)

U.S. OUT of Water; In Slavery, 20 Years from 1955

“Worst Weather Ever” was the title of an article written by Herman L. Hoeh, published in the October, 1955 PLAIN TRUTH, in which he warned: “God almighty has spoken through His servants the prophets that He will punish our people for their sins. He will let our own lust cause such droughts, floods, pestilence and famines that we will be totally consumed and carried away to captive to other nations as SLAVES WITHIN TWENTY YEARS.”  These prophecies cannot be understood UNLESS YOU WRITE FOR MR. ARMSTRONG’S FREE BOOKLET “The United States and Great Britain.”  “None of the dozens of prophecies relating to these catastrophic occurrences, already commencing have been understood because the ministers have been unwilling to admit our national identity – that the English speaking people ARE THE ‘LOST’ TEN TRIBES OF ISRAEL.”

We wish to call your attention – at that point – to the fact that not just wee, but publishers of the PLAIN TRUTH also recognize that their “interpretations” of prophecy hinge upon identifying the English-speaking peoples as the Ten Lost Tribes.

Earlier that same year, in January, 1955, Mr. Hoeh wrote in an article titled “Weather Changes Threaten Disaster for the U.S.A.,” that “…it is the coming dry cycle in the early 1970’s that…ought to frighten us all!  BY THE TIME rural, city and industrial demands WILL HAVE DEPLETED OUR REMAINING UNDERGROUND RESOURCES.” (Again, THAT IS rather specific! “In the early 1970’s cannot mean after 1975) “With the final drought coming unexpectedly – as most droughts do – we WILL HAVE NO RESERVE!  So terrible will it become that (pg 8) ONE THIRD OF THE ENTIRE POPULATION WILL DIE OF FAMINE AND DISEASE.”  These statements are found on page two if the January, 1955 PLAIN TRUTH.  The “early 1970’s” have passed, and no such events have occurred!

Carried Away Captive by 1975

On page fifteen of that same January, 1956 issue, Mr. Herman Hoeh stated, “God almighty has spoken through His servants the prophets that He will punish our people for their sins.  He will let our own lust cause such droughts, floods, pestilences and famines that we will be totally consumed and carried away captive to other nations as SLAVES WITHIN 20 YEARS.”  That also is specific enough to understand, and clear enough to judge by the Biblical standard, and command not to fear such prophets (meaning RESPECT or ATTACH significance to their words as though true).

Not Just by His “Underlings”

It cannot be claimed by anyone of repute within their organization that only “uniformed, over-zealous underlings” were responsible for such statements.  Consider what Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, himself, stated in an article titles “U.S.A. Riding to Total Collapse in 20 Short Years!:  published in the PLAIN TRUTH, page 11, January, 1956: “I’ve shown you from the very word of God what is next coming in prophesied events – the famine, disease epidemic to be followed almost immediately by WORLD WAR III!  It’s prophesied for 15 to 20 years or less.” Again, that is very specific – “It’s prophesied for 15 or 20 years OR LESS.”  No wonder he now considers that “…the whole question of chronology is in confusion, and no one can be positively SURE of dates,” and that his commission “…is NOT to become an infallible expert on, or to preach, chronology,” and it “…is utterly unsafe to try and SET DATES in regard (pg 9) to future prophesied events.”  (H.W. Armstrong’s “Personal,” TOMORROW’S WORLD, February, 1972, page 2.)

Epidemic – To Have Been April, 1958

Mr. Hoeh’s article, “Disease Epidemics Threaten U.S.A. in 2 Years,” in the PLAIN TRUTH, April 1956, page 3, stated” “Man-created PLAGUES are just around the corner! The news headlines of the pulsating present and a devastating future were written millenniums ago AS A DANGER SIGNAL and WARNING FOR US TODAY.  If we would have heeded this warning, we would not have had to endure these past five years of drought and intermittent floods.”

:” If we continue to disregard this warning,” he adds, “we will find ourselves surrounded by the worst epidemics that have ever struck this generation – AND THAT BEGINNING ABOUT TWO YEARS FROM NOW.”  The question arises, since those things did not happen in 1958 – nor indeed within the many years SINCE hen – was America alerted?  Did America Quit sinning AND ESCAPE?  Or, WERE MR. HOEH and MR. ARMSTRONG (et. al.,) SIMPLY WRONG?  On page twenty –two he continued to the theme: “We are already beginning to bring upon ourselves man-made diseases. But that is not all!  PLAGUES ARE COMING – and according to this prophetic warning, IN ABOUT TWO YEARS FROM NOW!”  No such events occurred – instead, steady progress has been made in disease control!

Pg 15

Perhaps we should caution you at this point, however.  Mr. H. W. Armstrong ha some very strong words to use against anyone who may disagree with him.  He seems to be consistent in his condemnation of any who have disagreed with him or opposed him.  Early chapters of his autobiography (pg 16) reveal his uncharitable attitude toward all who did not fall in with his ministry or who disagreed with him.

Examples of what we are talking about were several statements found in Mr. Armstrong’s article in the February 1972 issue of TOMORROW’S WORLD which we referred to early in this article.  For instance, he had a very excellent article in that same issue entitled “The Tongues Question.”  Many good points were made in the article.  Something’s were also misrepresented in the article. But when it came time to draw a summation of what he had been saying, Mr. Armstrong has this to say:  “And the greater pity is that the very ones most deceived are the ones who RESENT having the Scriptures opened to CORRECT them, to REPROVE, and to set them right! IF YOU FEEL RESENTMENT OF THESE WORDS, IT IS THE SUREST BIBLE EVIDENCE THAT YOU ARE UNDER THE DECEPTIVE POWER OF SATAN< THE DEVIL< AND YOU SHOULD FLEE THE INFLUENCE HE HAS OVER YOU, and ask God to renew a RIGHT spirit within you.” TOMORROW’S WORLD, February 1972, page 29, col. 2, 3.

In other words, to disagree with Mr. Armstrong is to be deceived of the devil; but when Mr. Armstrong makes mistakes, he is just “still human,” by his own admission.  A very untenable position, to refuse to be judged by the same standards used for others, but God will not allow such double standard: “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” Matthew 7:2

From the same issue of TOMORROW’S WORLD, is another example of Mr. Armstrong’s attitude toward those who have disagreed with him. On page three he says, “There were at least two occasions when I was accused by hostile women, bent on discrediting me, or error. On more thorough research, in these two instances, I discovered I had unknowingly been in error – and they were correct.  Humiliating or not, I openly and publicly corrected these errors at once.”TOMORROW’S WORLD, February 1972, page three.  Notice that Mr. Armstrong interprets criticism as meaning that people are out to destroy his work or discredit him.

How does Mr. Armstrong prove for our benefit that these ladies were in fact “hostile,” people who were only out to (pg 17) “discredit him?  How does he know that they were not just indignant at his teachings?  In this same quotation he admits that he had been “ignorantly” teaching false doctrines.  Why the need to slander these ladies, who had done enough Bible Study to know the true from the false, just because they had pointed out his errors?

True humility requires that one admit one’s own mistakes without trying to impugn the motives of those who point out errors.

Pg 17

In this same issue of TOMORROW’S WORLD, is another example of Mr. Armstrong’s attitude toward those who disagree with him: “We do not set dates!” “Yet, in out human zeal and enthusiasm for getting this greatest mission on earth done, we have a few times come close to or appeared to – and that we deeply regret.” “emphatically, it we-in our dedicated enthusiastic ZEAL to get God’s WARNING of the end of mankind’s world before this sick, sick world-DO, even though we intend not to, appear to set a date, I FEEL I DO NOT NEED TO APOLOGIZE!  No one but the enemies of ALL GOOD will accuse!” TOMORROW’S WORLD February 1972 pages 30, 31.