Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders

Saturday, July 2, 2011

The Truth Shall Make You Free: Postscript


published by: 

The Truth Foundation
11 Laurel Court
Freehold Township, New Jersey 07728
1981


POSTSCRIPT


(pg. 305) ON OCTOBER 14, 1980, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL GEORGE Deukmejian announced that he was dropping any further action against the leaders of the WCG. His announcement was a result of the signing of the Petris bill by Governor Edmund G. Brown on September 30. Deukmejian also dropped any further investigations of eleven other groups, including Synanon, the drug rehabilitation organization which had become a religious cult.
    
Such an action on Deukmejian's part was expected, if the bill did become law. He is an elected official, who inherited the case from his predecessor, Evelle Younger. The actual handling of the case was by a staff of career officials, under the direction of Deputy Attorney General Lawrence Tapper.

It was evident that a pursuit of the case, in light of the new law, could take two or three years. It could present a political handicap for someone who is rumored to have his eye on the Governor's office. Obviously, political ambitions are not best served by a case such as the one against the WCG leaders.
    
Rader had done a masterful job of creating a church-state confrontation and the final outcome would make him appear victorious. But, did we really lose? Did Armstrong and Rader really win?
   
I don't think that we lost. The entire operation of the Church was brought into the open. During the year and a half of legal (pg. 306) battling, Rader had time to bring the Church into compliance with the letter of the law, if not the spirit of the law. The Church issued its first detailed financial statement in the Autumn of 1980. Salaries, fringes, and other unchristian excesses were all footnoted. As a result, the burden of sound Christian stewardship is now even heavier on the members, as they now have the information available to determine if those they support are truly servants of Jesus Christ.

Even more evident, however, is the fact that the Church remains a spiritual fraud, under the leadership of Armstrong and Rader. It appears that the deception will grow stronger, as Armstrong and Rader further involve themselves in their Illuminati activities, deceiving the members into thinking they are supporting the work of Christ, while in fact they are supporting a satanic counterfeit.

After the suit was dropped, Armstrong continued the weekly advertisements in major newspapers. In another of his exercises in self aggrandizement, each advertisement carried his photo, under the headline "A Voice Cries Out." The general theme is his euphemistic message about all the world's ills being a result of  a selfish "GET" attitude, and the cure being a "GIVE" attitude.

God and Christ are only mentioned in a most abstract way, if at all. Armstrong's message is nothing more than another version of secular humanism. There is no way that one would get a message of salvation through Jesus Christ from the advertisements. Yet, members are told that this is a new thrust to bring the Gospel to the world. It is actually just a continuation of Armstrong's big lie.
    
Armstrong states each week that peace will be brought about by the intervention of a great "Unseen Hand from Someplace." That is a name which cannot be found in the Bible. It can mean many things, depending on a person's particular belief. And, to the Illumanists, the phrase refers to their god Lucifer, Satan the Devil.
    
It appears now, that having fallen away from the truth, that Armstrong, and Rader, who many believe to be a modern day Simon Magus (the Sorcerer) (Acts 8:9 & Gal.1:7) are fulfilling many end time prophesies as workers of iniquity. Don't be surprised if these two men become prominent news figures as a result of their international efforts. And don't be deceived by their words.

This further emphasizes the fact that those who represent themselves as ministers of Jesus Christ should be examined very (pg. 307) critically. If their words and actions are not in full accord with the Word of God, then they are frauds, and of Satan.

And, now to answer the question, did Armstrong and Rader win? They may now be out of reach of the courts. But, there is one Judge beyond whom there are no appeals.

"Many seek the ruler's favor; but every man's judgement cometh from the Lord." (Proverbs 29:26)

"For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." (2 Cor. 5:10)

The Truth Shall Make You Free: EPILOGUE



published by: 

The Truth Foundation
11 Laurel Court
Freehold Township, New Jersey 07728
1981

EPILOGUE


I. THE BROKEN CONTRACT

(pg. 295) This book was written under contract to Andrews and McMeel, Inc., a Universal Press Syndicate Company. The manuscript was submitted in segments through the month of October 1979, with the final pages being mailed on November 9, 1979.

The contract was negotiated and signed over a period of only a few weeks in February and March of 1979. President Jim Andrews and Editor Donna Martin were aware that I had never written before, but based on a sample chapter were well satisfied that I could write the book without using a ghost writer. Having previously published a book called "The Real Jesus" by Garner Ted Armstrong, they were familiar with the WCG, and anxious to have my manuscript.
    
In negotiating my advance, they had to stay to the low side as they felt legal expenses could be high, and thought they should be prepared for a lawsuit. In fact, Donna Martin said that if they were sued, it would even help sell more books.

 After submitting the manuscript, I grew increasingly concerned as I received various reasons and then finally obvious excuses why it had not yet been approved by Jim Andrews. This continued into March 1980, until Donna Martin began to be unavailable, and seemed to forget to return my daily phone calls. Finally, on April (pg. 296) 19, 1980, 1 received my manuscript, with the following letter form Jim Andrews, dated two days earlier.

            Dear John:

            After going over your manuscript carefully I must regretfully inform you that I do not find it  acceptable  for publication. While you do indeed have a fascinating story to tell            about the case against the Worldwide Church of God, I'm afraid that the number of hours             of editorial work that would be necessary to put this manuscript into publishable form        makes its publication   prohibitive. Add to this the additional legal fees that we would incur to substantiate every allegation in your book so as to preclude any support for the     libel suits which would very ikely ensue, and you can well appreciate our problem. It is        most unfortunate that we do not feel             this is a feasible project for our book company, but   we do feel we should release you to seek another contract if possible. In any case,         although we could legitimately ask for the return of your advance since the manuscript is   unacceptable, we have decided not to do so.
            Please accept my apologies for the long delay. It was in fact only recently that I had the    time to     thoroughly review the manuscript.

            Sincerely yours,
            James F. Andrews
            President


I could not accept this letter at face value, as they were automatically forfeiting $7,500 in advances already paid. This, in spite of the fact that the contract called for my refund of advances if I submitted an unpublishable or libelous manuscript. It appeared that Andrews wanted to get out of the deal, and hoped that the $7,500 would be enough of a sop to send me away quietly. Obviously, it would not make sense for me to sue. It would be better to seek another publisher or, failing that, to publish the book myself.

I was told in a later phone conversation that they were no longer interested in religious books. That, however, is no cause to break a contract. Could there be another reason? Could it be that they still had a book in print by Garner Ted, and thus be concerned because he did not come off in my book as well as they had hoped?

Or could there be another reason? Read Chapter 20 again. Then consider the fact that in the summer of 1979, between the signing of my contract, and the submittal of the manuscript, that Time, Inc. bought an interest in Universal Press Syndicate. Time, Inc. (pg. 297) publishes Time Magazine, which is considered by many to be part of the "Establishment press". At least seven officials of Time, Inc. are reported to be members of the Council on Foreign Relations, with Hedly Donovan, Editor in Chief and Sol Linowitz, also being members of the Trilateral Commission.

As a result of the broken contract, many months were lost in bringing this book to publication, but God always provides a way for His will to be fulfilled.

It is said that books are often suppressed. The reader may evaluate the facts and draw his own conclusions. My opinion as to how the WCG leaders fit into the satanic conspiracy of one world
rule are more firm than ever


II. WATCHDOGS OF THE SACRED TRUST

In September 1979, the formation of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability was announced. This organization, located at 1444 Wentworth Avenue, Pasadena, California, was formed after nearly two years of effort on the part of several Christian leaders. They felt that the repetition of scandal regarding so many religious groups would bring about harsh legislation unless certain standards were established and adhered to.

Membership and a seal of approval is granted only to organizations meeting their standards. Compliance with standards must be supported by substantial documentation. A summary of standards follows:

            1. There shall be an active, responsible governing board, a
            majority of whom together are not employees/staff, or immediate
            family members which meets at least semi-annually, having policy
            making authority.

            2. Required annual audit by a public accounting firm performed in
            accordance with generally accepted auditing standards with the
            financial statements prepared in accordance with generally
            accepted accounting principles.

            3. Audited financial statements shall be available on request.

            4. An active audit committee, a majority of whom are not
            employees/staff shall be established by the governing board of
            the organization.

            5. The organization shall carry on its business with the highest
            standards of integrity and avoid conflicts of interests.
(pg. 298)
            6. The member organization shall have a clearly defined statement
            of faith, consistent with the Evangelical Christian perspective.

            7. All programs and activities of the organization shall be
            consistent with its stated purposes and objectives and donated
            funds shall be applied for the purposes for which they were
            raised.

Had the WCG followed such standards, there would be no legal problems now. In fact, Armstrong and Rader, had they been true to God, would have been in the forefront in establishing such standards for others to follow, as an example of proper Christian stewardship.

ECFA executive director Olan Hendrix is, in one respect, in full agreement with the California Attorney General, having stated, "Every Christian charity must be fully ac countable to
its giving public. Each dollar must be regarded as a sacred trust."


III. WCG TRAMPLES DAVID ROBINSON'S CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS

Rader has stated that the hearing for an ex parte receivership was illegal. He has claimed that the ex parte action was a result of dishonesty among the lawyers and judges.
    
Yet on June 2, 1980, WCG minister Sherwin McMichael, and Henry Cornwall obtained an ex parte temporary restraining order, which halted the release of David Robinson's book "Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web." The suit was filed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Robinson lives, and now pastors an independent Church of God.

Testimony in later court hearings showed that the plaintiffs were acting on behalf of the WCG, and that the WCG was paying the legal fees.

The very same people who claim that the First Amendment is being trampled by the State of California in its effort to correct their alleged fraudulent activity in handling of Church funds, felt no guilt in trampling Robinson's constitutional rights to publish a book.

In the later hearings, the courts decided in favor of Robinson, and his book was released.

Why such an effort to prevent release of Robinson's book?

In Chapter 19 is Robinson's account of his meetings with (pg. 299) Armstrong. This was read by him to me over the phone, from what was to later become part of his book. This account was copied and distributed to many by Robinson in manuscript form. When Church officials became aware of Robinson's plans to include such accounts in a book, they moved against him.

Robinson's book is a devastating account of hypocrisy and false leadership in the Worldwide Church. Most revealing is the fact that Garner Ted is, as many have stated "truly his father's son." He was not the first member of the family to engage in sexual sins. His father had set quite an example. What could be worse than a man engaging in incest with his daughter? According to Robinson, this is one of the many things of which Herbert Armstrong, the selfappointed apostle, is guilty. No wonder God has turned his back on the Worldwide Church of God.


IV. GARNER TED AND THE CHURCH OF GOD INTERNATIONAL

What about Garner Ted and what he called the "new beginning," the Church of God International? Were all the good things that he was saying being said with sincerity, or did he, like a politician, know what the people wanted to hear?

In July 1979, the CGI distributed copies of the Constitution and By Laws. This document provided that "The Chairman and Pastor (Garner Ted) shall hold office in perpetuity by virtue of having been chosen by the divine authority of Jesus Christ..." "The Chairman shall have power and authority to appoint and/or dissolve any and all committees...Constitutional amendments required a two-thirds majority of the board and approval of the Chairman. In other words, Garner Ted would have full veto power over all actions.

The provision for removal of the Chairman required a unanimous Board decision. With the Chairman's wife and brother-in-law on the Board, such an action would be highly improbable, even under the most extreme cases of irresponsibility. Would Shirley Armstrong vote her husband out of a job paying over $40,000 per year, plus fringes such as free restaurant meals nearly every night, expense account for the Cessna 310 plane, and other percs?

(pg. 300) Truly, it appeared to be a WCG rerun after all!

The Constitution created an uproar among the members. Had Garner Ted forgotten that most of them were the thinking people who had left the WCG?

Hastily, a constitutional committee was appointed. I was one of several who were called to make suggestions. Special meetings were held for the general membership. Slowly the furor died down, and no affirmative action was ever taken.

In January 1980, Jack Martin, who had become the Publishing Director of the CGI, was fired by Garner Ted. He was planning to resign, but was fired first, as he had begun to publicly state: "It remains to be seen whether this is going to be God's Church or just Ted's Church."

Immediately following Martin's firing, Allan Heath, Editor of CGI Publications, quit. At the same time, Wayne Cole, after only a few months as Director of the Ministry, resigned. He was true to his word. He had told me in June 1979 that he would never be part of another spiritual fraud. He said that as soon as he saw Garner Ted setting himself up as an authoritarian despot, he would leave. He did just that. If only other ministers in many other churches had the same courage of their convictions.

Also, at about the same time, Wesley Ward resigned from the Board and left the CGI. He had been chairman of the constitutional committee. Aware that he had been used, he left. Ward said, "Ted thought he could use me as a rubber stamp. Well, I was the only one on the Board who wouldn't be a rubber stamp. Ted's no different than his father."

And Wayne Cole had something similar to say. He said, "Just like his father, Ted uses and abuses people."

While following in the ways of his father, trying to establish his own private religious business, Garner Ted appears to have reverted back to other types of conduct. It appeared for a while as though he had repented of his past sexual sins. Perhaps for a time, he did.
    
More recently, he has been seen stumbling out of a bar called the Foxy Lady. He was known to hang out in a place that was raided for drugs. A young real estate saleswoman was asked to meet him at a bar to discuss his real estate requirements. She was shocked to find out that his true intention appeared to be his desire to have an affair with her.

(pg. 301) Garner Ted is known now as one who makes a fool of himself in public places around Tyler, being loud and boisterous, seeking to be the center of attention, and making a spectacle of himself. Strangely, he accused his father of the very same thing.
    
Garner Ted and his establishment of the CGI started out so well. Many of us were encourged, and thought that he was truly yielding himself to Jesus Christ. Recent events have shown that this was just a short lived deception. While the CGI still exists, it is faltering. The thinking people have left, many worshipping with independently formed Churches of God.
    
Income has dropped from a high of $25,000 per week to less than $15,000 per week.

Garner Ted now has his own little group of idol worshipers, taken from his father. They just happen to prefer bowing down before a younger golden calf.


V. WILL RADER WIN?

On April 25, 1980, all employees of the Worldwide Church of God were terminated. With their letters of termination, they received a letter from another organization called "Herbert W. Armstrong The Apostle of the Worldwide Church of God and His Successor, a corporation sole." The terminated employees were offered employment with the Armstrong corporation,  conditioned on strict loyalty to all rules, regulations, doctrines, teachings, and beliefs of the Church (meaning Armstrong).

Further, part-time employment elsewhere was forbidden. Termination could be with or without cause, without severance pay or other benefits. An employee's spouse was also required to agree with and sign the new employment agreement.

As a result of this maneuver, the WCG members were left thinking that they were a member of one group, while in fact, their ministers would now be in the direct personal employment of Armstrong or his successor. It does not take much intelligence to deduce who that would be. Most ministers and other employees have now been compromised to the point where they have signed this document.

Clearly, any minister signing such an agreement is unfit to represent himself as a minister of Jesus Christ.

Through the summer of 1980, the Church leaders began a major (302) advertising campaign, taking their battle against the Attorney General before the public. Full-page advertisements, at the rate of two or three each month, were placed in major newspapers, such as the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Church members, through their tithes, were actually paying a small fortune for Armstrong and Rader to engage in a massive campaign of self-aggrandizement. As an example, the Wall Street Journal full-page ad costs $42,000 per day.

While the legal battles continued, Rader succeeded in enlisting the support of many California politicians to his cause. Seeing the level of corruption in politics, it is easy to see how Rader could gain the support of many politicians. Their game is the same. They just play in different arenas.
    
With the added support of many church leaders of various denominations, some deceived by him, and others fearful of themselves being exposed, a bill was introduced to the California legislature by Senator Nicholas Petris. The bill states. "Except as the Attorney General is empowered to act in the enforcement of the criminal laws of this state . . . (he) . . . shall have no power with respect to religious corporations." In effect, the bill, if it becomes law, will prohibit the Attorney General from acting on behalf of a church in an action against leaders who are suspected of misappropriating funds. The Attorney General would no longer be able to seek recovery of monies for a church. The only avenue would be criminal prosecution, a much more difficult task.

In May, the Senate passed the bill and in August it was passed by the Assembly. If Governor Brown does not veto the bill, it will become law in June 1981. While it would not be retroactive to a time prior to the current action, it would in effect, many feel, neutralize any further attempts by the Attorney General to continue in his actions against WCG leaders.
    
The tragedy of such a law going into effect is that California would most likely become the home of anyone seeking to perpetrate fraud in the guise of religion. Eventually, some of these frauds may get so out of hand that the law will be repealed. The backlash in such an event could in fact bring about real religious oppression, which Rader has deceived many into believing that this law is designed to prevent. In such a backlash, one could expect laws of oppression to be enacted.

(pg. 303) Can religious leaders perpetrate fraud, and get away with it? It may seem like they can, perhaps for a time. But they will always live in fear of being caught.
    
In Isaiah 33, the prophet was inspired by God to write that the sinners in Zion (symbolically speaking, the Church) are afraid, that fearfulness has surprised the hypocrites. And in verse 18, an astonishing statement: "Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? Where is the receiver? Where is he that counteth the towers?"
    
Study this, using a concordance, and you will see that the sinful religious leader will be in constant fear of being caught. He will fear having to give an accounting. And he will fear that his pulpits, pride and honor (his banquets and speeches) are to be counted and found to be worthless.

And what if we must continue to watch as Church leaders seem to get away with fraud and deceit. We can only accept that God is allowing it for a time, allowing people to be fully responsible for their own actions, whether they will follow the truth of Jesus Christ or the false ways and lies of certain men. Rader has stated to David Robinson that it is a higher duty for men in responsible positions to lie.

Not only false teachers, but also those who willingly follow them, shall finally perish. If you are following such a false leader, read what God inspired Peter to write.

            "But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they  understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;
           
            And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in  the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;
            Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an   heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

            Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

            But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbade the madness of the prophet.

            These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

            (pg. 304) For when they speak great swelling worlds of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantoness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

            While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is lie brought in bondage.For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

            For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

            But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire."
            - II Peter 2:12-22

            "Come out of her, my people, that be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. " (Rev.18:4)

            "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."    (John 8:32)

The Truth Shall Make You Free: Chapter 23 What Does This Mean To You?


published by: 

The Truth Foundation
11 Laurel Court
Freehold Township, New Jersey 07728
1981


Chapter 23   What Does This Mean To You?


(pg. 291) SOMEHOW, IN PERHAPS MIRACULOUS WAYS, GOD WILL USE ALL THE
different groups of true worshippers to proclaim the Gospel. The Worldwide Church should not be written off, as no one can yet tell what the final outcome will be regarding Armstrong and Rader.

Evangelicals, with their love and zeal for Christ, could be the most potent force of all. If only they would see how they are still standing with one foot in Babylon. If the Evangelicals would only come completely out of Babylon, and break from the paganism of Rome, we would see an outpouring of the Holy Spirit not seen since the notable day of Pentecost mentioned in the Book of Acts.

And what does this all mean to you, the reader? When we look at the world situation and all of the turmoil in religion, from the largest organized religious groups to the most weird off-beat cults, we can only conclude that we are truly in the last days. We are near the end of the age, and in the times spoken of by Jesus Christ in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew. The ten kings, or what would today be ten nations or groups of nations, spoken of in the seventh chapter of Daniel and the thirteenth chapter of Revelation, are right now forming their prophesied alliance. This is the group of Common Market nations which have now progressed to the point where they have a European Parliament. It will not be long before the European nations will have unified themselves totally, economically and politically. And when they do, Germany will be (pg. 292) the dominant factor in that alliance, as is already quite apparent. Due to their great differences and jealousies, these nations will have to give their power over to a common unifying force, religion. That religion, or religious organization is the "MOTHER OF HARLOTS." It will be this great false religion that will dominate the European union, which will then go out to make war with the nations. This will be the final outcome of the "International Conspiracy," Satan's final attempt to establish his world dictatorship.

 This great false religious leader, according to the thirteenth chapter of Revelation, is referred to as a beast which gives power to another, the first beast, which is identified as the leader of the European empire. This great false religious leader will do great miracles and have great power; and nearly the entire world will be deceived by him. While he represents Satan, he will claim to represent God. He is the one who will require that in order to buy or sell, one must have his mark on their forehead or their hand, and that mark will be his name or the number of his name. That number is recorded as being six hundred, three score and six in Revelation 13:18.

The study of the Greek origin of that phrase in Strong's Concordance will show that the words "six hundred," the words "three score" and the word "six" are from three Greek letters, each one of which is a variation of a cross. This false religious leader, the beast, will occupy the religious office of a great worldwide religious system. That office is identified by three crosses on the vestments. We are in that time just preceding these prophesied events right now.

What this all means is very simple. God provides a way of salvation through Jesus Christ. By repenting of your sins and following Christ completely, keeping His commandments and doing as He says, worshipping in truth according to the Scriptures, rather than following a pagan religious system which masquerades as Christianity, you can be one of those who will be given eternal life at Christ's coming, and reign with Him as an eternal living son of God. Those who are now in the corrupt false religions must come out of Babylon.

If you have never given this much thought before, or have scoffed at what has been written here as so much religious nonsense, why not get out the Bible and read for yourself what the Scriptures have to say? Perhaps you will not see it now, but as time (pg. 293) goes by, you will begin to see that the prophesies of Scripture continue to be fulfilled. Or perhaps you are one of the many millions who have in one way or another accepted Christ as your Savior. If you have, are you doing what He says? Or are you still with one foot in the pagan beliefs that have corrupted the Christian Church? You may be in many ways leading a good Christian life, showing the love of Christ in your daily conduct, but Christ wants more of you than that. Read the second and third chapters of Revelation, and see the various spiritual conditions that Christ asks His people to repent of. He says to the apostle John that many of the seven symbolic churches mentioned, while they worship Him, are nevertheless in various stages of spiritual decay. One of those conditions is the condition of false doctrine and pagan belief. Another quite notable one is a lukewarm condition; a lack of zeal in serving God. And Christ says to repent of this.

Whatever you now think of God, Jesus Christ, religion, the Bible, prophecy, salvation, or whether you are an atheist, an agnostic, a Jew, a Moslem, a nominal mainstream Christian, an Evangelical, a member of the Church of God, a Hindu, etc., etc.,these things are important to you, and you should consider right now what you are going to do about it.

Those in the Church of God, having the knowledge of God's truth, are called by Christ to get busy and be zealous in proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom. And those others who feel that they are Christians, are called by Christ to come out of Babylon and put all false beliefs and observances behind, or He will not even accept your calling him Lord. "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46) And those who have just totally rejected Christ up to this time can prove for themselves that these things are true, and obtain salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ.

God's plan is so wonderful, His love so great, that He makes it easy for us through Jesus Christ to reject Satan and accept eternal life. As has often been said by many people, "Make me a deal I can't refuse." God has made you a deal that you can't refuse. Yet the decision is up to you.

"Whosoever commiteth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." (I John 3:4)

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

(pg. 294) "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:16 and 17)

"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:38)

"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne." (Revelation 3:21)

"Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out; and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name." (Revelation 3:11 and 12)

The Truth Shall Make You Free: Chapter 22 Satan”s Master Conspiracy


published by: 

The Truth Foundation
11 Laurel Court
Freehold Township, New Jersey 07728
1981

This chapter contains lot's of conspiracy theories that have run rampant in Armstrongism over the decades.  Illuminati, Bilderbergers, One World Government, Trilateralists, Protocols of Zion, the Mason's, etc.  Reading this tripe almost wants to make you disregard the rest of the information in this book.  If he believes this silliness as fact, how do we know he told the truth about the events he claims to know so much about?



Chapter 22   Satan”s Master Conspiracy


(pg. 281) THE ALLEGATIONS OF FINANCIAL IMPROPRIETIES CAN ONLY BE PART
of it. If a man were in it just for the money, he would have taken what he could and left the country by now. The motives seem to be stronger than that as Rader continues to fight and, now
having been ordained an evangelist, need only wait for Herbert Armstrong to die or become incapacitated, when he will be the apostle and in full open control.
    
To see how Satan has attempted to use the Church and destroy it from within, one must look to the worldwide trips that Armstrong and Rader began shortly after Mrs.Armstrong's death. While Armstrong was operating under the grandiose delusions that he was bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, he was being used, probably without his knowledge, as part of a satanic
conspiracy.
    
Much has been written over many years about the so-called "International Conspiracy." This has been referred to as a secret movement to control the world, and it is said to be under the control of the leading politicians, business people, and financial giants of various countries. This conspiracy has often been referred to as one world movement, the internationalists, or the Bilderbergers, and has been dismissed by most as just a lot of reactionary paranoid charges being made by those who attempt to expose such a conspiracy.

The modern day version of this conspiracy was formed in 1776 (pg. 282) by Adam Weishaupt and was called the Illuminati. In his book, "Fourth Reich of the Rich," author Des Griffin clearly documents the origins of the Illuminati and the modern day organizations that have come out of it. Griffin states; "Illuminati is derived from the word Lucifer, which means Bearer of the Light or a being of extraordinary brilliance (Isaiah 14:12)." This Luciferian conspiracy developed a master plan for a one world totalitarian dictatorship. Griffin states: "THE MEN WHO CONCEIVED THE DIABOLICAL CONSPIRACY AS LAID OUT IN THE PROTOCOLS, WERE NOT ATHEISTS.'LIGHT BEARER', SATAN THE DEVIL. THEY WERE WORSHIPPERS OF SATAN: THIS IS THE PLAN OF SATAN."
    
On page 199, quoting from the master plan: "The political has nothing in common with the moral. The ruler who is governed by the moral is not a skilled politician, and is therefore
unstable on his throne. He who wishes to rule must have recourse both to cunning-and to make believe.

“Our power in the present tottering condition in all forms of power will be more invincible
than any other, because it will remain invisible until the moment when it has gained such strength that no cunning can any longer undermine it."
    
Other quotes from the master plan: "Let us, however, in our plans, direct our attention not so much to what is good and moral as to what is necessary and useful."; "Our State, marching alongthe path of peaceful conquest, has the right to replace the horrors of war by less noticeable and more satisfactory sentences of death, necessary to maintain the terror which tends to produceblind submission."; "Our triumph has been rendered easier by the fact that in our relations with the men whom we wanted we have always worked upon the most sensitive cords of the human mind, upon the cash account, upon the cupidity, upon the insatiability for material needs of man; and each one of these human weaknesses, taken alone, is sufficient to paralyze initiative for it hands over the will of men to the disposition of him who has bought their activities."; "When the hour strikes for our Sovereign Lord (Satan) of all the World to be crowned it is these same hands that will sweep away (pg. 283) everything that might be a hindrance thereto."; "By all these means we shall so wear down the GOYIM that they will be compelled to offer us without any violence gradually to absorb all the State forces of the world and to form a Super-Government."; "In countries known as progressive and enlightened, we have created a senseless, filthy, abominable literature."; "Every kind of new institution of anything like a secret society will also be punished with death; those of them which are now in existence are known to us, serve us and have served us, we shall disband and send into exile to continents far removed from Europe. In this way we shall proceed with those GOY Masons who know too much; such of these as we may for some reason spare will be kept in constant fear of exile. We shall promulgate a law making all former members of secret societies liable to exile from Europe as the center of our rule.

“Freedom of conscience has been declared everywhere, so that now only years divide us from the moment of the complete wrecking of that Christian religion, as to other religions we shall have still less difficulty in dealing with them, but it would be premature to speak of this now."

This master plan of the Illuminati was to penetrate religious organizations and secret societies to work their scheme. In the late 1700s they had already taken over the Masonic order. Only the highest degree Masons ever knew the real purpose of their organization. Griffin states; "On the 16th of July, 1782, at the Congress of Wilhelmsbad, an alliance between Illuminism and Freemasonry was finally sealed."

And they certainly succeeded in penetrating every national government by having infiltrated the religious and political organizations and secret societies, such as the Masons. Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto was nothing more than a rewrite of the Illuminati master plan. Griffin states: "Moses Mordecai Marx Levy, alias Karl Marx, joined one of the branch organizations of the Illuminati conspiracy known as the League of the Just. In 1847 he was hired to write what became known as the Communist Manifesto." Another excellent book on the subject is "None Dare Call It Conspiracy" by Gary Allen. He states: "Karl Marx was hired by a mysterious group who called themselves the League of Just Men to write the Communist Manifesto as demagogic (pg. 284) boobbait to appeal to the mob. In actual fact the Communist Manifesto was in circulation for many years before Marx' name was widely enough recognized to establish his authorship for this revolutionary handbook. All Karl Marx really did was to update and codify the very same revolutionary plans and principles set down seventy years earlier by Adam Weishaupt, the founder of the Order of Illuminati in Bavaria. And, it is widely acknowledged by serious scholars of this subject that the League of Just Men was simply an extension of the Illuminati which was forced to go deep underground after it was exposed by a raid in 1786, conducted by the Bavarian authorities."

Coming into more recent times, it can be shown that the International Conspiracy functioned quite effectively. The International Bankers financed both the Communist Revolution inRussia, and Hitler in Germany. Griffin states: "At the same time, as the International Bankers were bolstering the sagging Communist regime in Russia, they were also underwriting hugeloans on both sides of the Atlantic for the new regime of Adolph Hitler. The financial backing for Hitler was handled by the Warburg-controlled Mendelsohn Bank of Amsterdam and later by the J. Henry Schroeder Bank with branches in Frankfort, London and New York. It is interesting to note that the chief legal counsel to the Schroeder Bank was the firm of Sullivan and Cromwell whose senior partners included John Foster Dulles and Alan Dulles."

Shown in Griffin's book is a document appointing H.H.G. Schacht as administrator of Nazi Germany's money in March of 1933. The document is signed by Hitler and also by Max Warburg as a representative of the Warburg financial empire in Europe, giving his approval to the appointment. At the same time that Max Warburg was financing Hitler, his brother Paul M. Warburg who directed the American branch of the Warburg empire, was serving as one of the members of the Federal Reserve System during Franklin D. Roosevelt's Presidency.

And in 1950 on February 17, his son James Warburg proclaimed before the United States Senate: "We shall have world government, whether or not we like it. THE ONLY QUESTION IS WHETHER WORLD GOVERNMENT WILL BE ACHIEVED BY CONQUEST OR CONSENT."


(pg. 285) The most prominent organizations taking part in the conspiracy today are The Council of Foreign Relations (CFR), headquartered in New York and the Trilateral Commission alsoheadquartered in New York. There are similar organizations in other countries throughout the world. The CFR includes in its membership all of the leading politicians of both major politicalparties. The Rockefellers have a heavy influence over the operation of the CFR. The Trilateral Commission was formed in 1973 by private citizens of Western Europe, Japan, North America.The facts regarding the Trilateral are well documented in a book entitled, "Trilaterals Over Washington" by Antony C. Sutton and Patrick M. Wood. The Trilateral was founded by David Rockefeller and Zbignieuw Brzezinski. The world knows Brzezinski today as President Carter's special representative for foreign affairs. However, it is interesting to note that Brzezinski does not really work for Carter, in fact Carter is under the heavy influence of Brzezinski.

The authors state: "It was Brzezinski, in fact, who first identified Carter as presidential timber, and subsequently educated him in economics, foreign policy, and the ins-and-outs of world politics." When the Trilateral commission met in Tokyo, Japan in January 1977, Brzezinski wrote to the Commission: "I remain convinced that on the larger architectural issues oftoday, collaboration among our regions is of the utmost necessity. This collaboration must be dedicated to the fashioning of a more just and equitable world order. This will require aprolonged process, but I think we could look forward with confidence and take some pride in the contribution the Commission is making."

Let there be no doubt that Brzezinski favors a one world government as outlined by the Illuminati and Karl Marx. Referring to Marxism, Brzezinski says it "represents a further vital andcreative stage in the maturing of man's universal vision. "

Another group prominent in the international conspiracy is the Bilderberger group of Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. This group holds secret meetings periodically in various parts ofthe world where heavily armed guards are posted to maintain absolute secrecy. Some of those who have attended the meetings according (pg. 286)  to Griffin are David and Nelson G. Rockefeller; Amelio Collado, Executive Vice-President of Exxon Corporation; Giovani Agnelli, head of Fiat; Robert S. McNamara, President of the World Bank; Henry Kissinger; Gerald Ford; Senator Matthias; Britain's former Prime Minister James Callaghan, and his so-called conservative counterpart the present prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher; and many others of prominent positions in various countries.

All of these organizations have constant dealings with each other working towards a one-world dictatorial government. The United Nations is one of the corner stones of that proposed scheme. The CFR has even proposed that sovereign nations give over control of domestic matters to an international organization. Des Griffin states; "The passionate concern of the CFR is the creation of a One-World dictatorship: this is clearly revealed in their own publications! For example in 1959, the CFR published a document entitled, 'Study Number 7, Basic Aims of U.S. Foreign Policy,' in which it was stated, 'THE U.S. MUST STRIVE TO BUILD A NEW INTERNATIONAL ORDER - including States labeling themselves as socialists (Communists)'. The study also urged that the U.S. 'maintain and gradually increase the authority of the United Nations', and 'make more effective use of the International Court of Justice, jurisdiction of which should be increased by withdrawal of reservations by member nations on matters judged to be domestic.'"

 All three of the books mentioned go on with considerable documentation to prove that such an international conspiracy to place the world under total dictatorial rule exists. And that conspiracy involves the willing compliance of our national leaders. Political parties mean nothing, they are all part of the same conspiracy.

What, one may ask, does this have to do with the Worldwide Church of God? It has everything to do with it and is most significant in understanding the meaning of what has taken placein the Worldwide Church. Most writers on the subject of the conspiracy while seeming to come close to a knowledge of the real root cause of it, don't quite understand it as does Griffin. Hepoints out quite clearly that the Bible reveals that Satan is the current ruler of this world. Satan rebelled against God when he was still called Lucifer, (pg. 287) one of the the great archangels. It was after his rebellion that his name was changed to Satan. The Bible records that Satan is the god of this world. When Christ was tempted by Satan, Satan offered Christ rulership over the world. Christ did not then dispute the fact that Satan had control over the world, He just told Satan "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." This world is Satan's kingdom until Christ returns to bind Satan and takes that kingdom, establishing the Kingdom of God. God's plan is a one-world rule, under the divine rulership of Jesus Christ. Satan, the master counterfeiter, has for these thousands of years been attempting to form his counterfeit one world government. In these end times, he is working through organizations such as the organizations just mentioned in anattempt to bring about a one world government. As the master counterfeiter and great deceiver, he comes as an angel of light making it appear that all of these plans and schemes are the bestfor humanity. But in all of these great plans of men, under the sway of Satan, we never see God and His way remembered. Satan has succeeded in bringing our nation to the very point where, along with other nations, there is total perplexity, as the world conditions seem to get worse and worse. We have lost our national greatness because we have turned from the ways of God.

There is ample evidence in the Bible and in history to indicate that Great Britain and the United States are descended from Joseph through his sons Ephraim and Manasseh, and representalong with other nations in Scandinavia and Northern Europe, the ten lost tribes of Israel. God's greatest blessings were promised through Jacob to his son Joseph. And there is no doubt that Great Britain and the United States for years had an abundance of those blessings.

 The Bible prophesied, however, that if our nations did not turn from their evil ways and did not turn back to God, that the pride of our power would be broken (Leviticus 26:19), and we haveseen that, where we are even unable to win a war or stand against our enemies, or rescue our hostages from Iran. This is because we have given our power over to this satanic conspiracy. As Satan continues with his master plan, our leaders blindly follow, through their (pg. 288) in volvement in these various organizations which are trying to bring about a one world government. A one-world government under human rule can only be a one-world governmentunder Satan's rule. Instead of looking to God and calling our people to repentance, calling our people out of the pagan ways of their false Christianity, our leaders speak good-sounding words,
claiming to believe in God, and then go totally contrary to the way of life outlined for us in the Scripture.
Seeing the Worldwide Church of God developing as it did, it was only natural that Satan would attempt to stop it. Two thousand years ago, he corrupted the original true Church, the Church of God in Rome, and so filled it with pagan idolatry that the Roman Catholic Church and all of its Protestant daughters are Christian only in name. While they profess to honor Christ, their actions in following pagan practices and teaching false pagan doctrines prove without a doubt that the Roman Catholic Church has deteriorated to the point where it is what the Scriptures describe as "MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (Revelation 17:7) and the Protestant Churches, through their remaining in Babylon, are the harlots born of this mother. And now, through Stanley Rader and his desire for great wealth and power, Satan could work to prey on Armstrong's weaknesses of ego and vanity, turning him from the very ways of God that he had taught so well to others. Through subtle deceptions, the Worldwide Church of God is also now going right back into Babylon.

Through moral corruption and the false apostleship of Herbert Armstrong, the Worldwide Church today is every bit as much in Babylon in spite of the true doctrines that they still may have, as are the traditional Christian churches. Without the love of Jesus Christ, even true doctrine is nothing. Armstrong, through his desire to meet world leaders, has deluded himselfinto thinking he is bringing the Gospel to these nations when in fact he is not. This very Church, which was supposed to be preaching the one-world government under Jesus Christ, has now become part of the "International Conspiracy" working to bring about a one world government under Satan.

 One cannot say for sure whether or not Rader is actually aware of his part in this scheme. But nonetheless, this is how he is being used. While Armstrong is meeting with various world leaders, there (pg. 289) is much going on behind the scenes. It is of more than passing significance that Armstrong's original contacts were made through high-ranking members of the Japanese government. Perhaps the mysterious Osamu Gotoh's part in this will never be totally known. The Japanese, who have such a significant part in the Trilateral Commission, are also the very ones who have introduced Armstrong to many world leaders. And Armstrong, in turn, arranged meetings for some of the Japanese. It was he who asked President Sadat to invite the Prince Mikasa of Japan to Egypt. It was the Japanese who arranged the September 1979 visit of Stanley Rader to Communist China, where he lectured on law at Peking University. Herbert Armstrong made a trip later in the year.
    
Armstrong has pointed out that on many occasions, shortly after he visited with national leaders, there was either an overthrow in that government or that leader was deposed or murdered. One case in point was President Allende of Chile, who was murdered shortly after Armstrong's visit there. And while Henry Kissinger was conducting his shuttle diplomacy between Egypt and Israel during the Nixon administration, Armstrong claims that he and Rader were also shuttling back and forth between those two countries.

Through the Ambassador International Cultural Foundation, Rader has established an institute for political research in Tokyo as well as a Society for Near Eastern Studies in Tokyo. There is a close relationship with King Leopold III of Belgium, who is one of the members of the Prince Bernhard's Bilderberger group. And there has also been very close contact with Prince Bernhard. Doctor Singh of the World Court also figures prominently in the Armstrong-Rader contacts. Ambassador College, in conjunction with the Kress Foundation, has been engaged in archaeological expeditions in Syria. Franklin Murphy, the chairman of the Board of the Kress Foundation, was the former Chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles, and is now chairman of the Board of the Times Mirror Corporation, publishers of the Los Angeles Times. Franklin Murphy is also a member of the Council of Foreign Relations. The pieces fit very well here as this begins to explain why Bert Mann, the reporter for the Los Angeles Times, was pulled off of the receivership story in January 1979. While the story was prominently featured in the Pasadena papers, it was buried in the back pages of the Times.

 Only after Larry Manning, a reporter for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner (pg. 290) threatened to do a story alleging that the Times was suppressing the Church story, did the Times again begin to  run token articles in a more prominent position. The full part of the Worldwide Church of God in this satanic conspiracy will probably never been known until after Christ returns. However, there can be no doubt that as the leadership of the Church turned from the ways of God, God removed His blessing and Satan was allowed to use the organization in such a way, perhaps as a test of the ministers and members. Anyone who remains part of the Worldwide Church of God today is in Babylon, and would not remain there if they adhered to the scriptural teachings that they should know so well.

Christ said in Matthew 24:24: "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."

And that is what has been going on in the Worldwide Church of God. Some of the very elect now are threatened with deception. But Christ said that he would not forsake His Church, and He has not forsaken it. Many of the scattered groups of the other Churches of God and the Assemblies of Yahweh throughout the world have not soiled their garments with the pollutions of paganism. They have kept the testimony of Jesus Christ, and as long as they remain true to the Scriptures, while their groups may be relatively small and perhaps struggling along, God will miraculously use them as the end draws near to proclaim the Kingdom of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

The Truth Shall Make You Free: Chapter 21 The Origin of the WCG


published by: 

The Truth Foundation
11 Laurel Court
Freehold Township, New Jersey 07728
1981


This chapter contains more Armstrongite apologetic's and blatant mythology.  He jumps onthe Waldenses band wagon as proof they were Sabbath keepers.  History is quit plain this group of people were NOT Sabbath keepers. A current member of the Waldenses has this to say about their history: What About The Waldenses?   

The Waldensian Churches are Reformed Presbyterian Churches: they were called in Latin: Mater Reformationis (=Mother of the Reformation) as they were before an old Middle Ages movement, but NOT a Church . They adopted the Huguenot Confession of faith, so called "De la Rochelle" of 1559 (but really of the Paris Synod, their first Huguenot General Assembly), but in 1655 the Waldensian Churches had its own Confession of Faith, hurriedly drafted in Italian immediately after the massacre of the Waldenses called "Piedmonts Easters". This was simply a shortened version in Italian of the Huguenot Confession of faith of 1559: it confirmed that in theology the Waldenses were in the mainstream of Presbyterian Calvinism . It is still the basis to this day of Waldensian beliefs, which the Candidates have to undersign in front of the General Assembly before becoming Ministers in our churches.
More detailed information on this quote is here: Did The Waldenses Keep The 7th Day Sabbath?

Armstrongites love to trumpet out the writings of Samuel Bacchiocchi. More information is here about Samuel Bacchiocchi  Analysis of the errors reported by SDA Theologian, Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph.D.



Chapter 21  The Origin of the WCG

(pg. 275) IN THE EARLY YEARS OF THE CHURCH, ARMSTRONG WAS LEARNING and growing in the knowledge of God's truth. As long as he did this, God continued to bless the Worldwide Church of God. The problems seemed to start in 1968, after Mrs. Armstrong died. At that time, Stanley Rader who had been around Armstrong for the past ten years, was finally able to make his big move. Garner Ted says that his mother had a great influence over his father, and she was really the guiding influence over the Church. Garner Ted said of his mother, "One of the most important things she was able to do in dealing with my father and some of his ideas was to say, 'No, Herbert'."

It is so easy to understand that this Church organization, which was teaching so much of God's truth in such a powerful way, would be a main point of Satan's attack. And it was Armstrong's ego and vanity, and his later belief that he was a specially appointed apostle of God, that gave Satan that opening.  Armstrong's claims that this was the only Church teaching God's truth were false, as were his claims that he had been given this knowledge in a special way from God. By making such claims, he drew special attention to himself as someone very unique and specially chosen, which placed him between the people and Jesus Christ.

The facts are that the Church of God Seventh Day of Stanbury, Missouri, back in the 1930s, had the same basic truths that Armstrong (pg. 276) had been teaching. And it was from this group that Armstrong broke away in the 1930s. The Church of God Seventh Day can trace its history back to the Middle Ages when Sabbath-keeping Christians were being persecuted and killed along with the Jews. This history, although rather spotty and difficult to piece together, was written in a book called "The History of the True Church" by A.N.Dugger and C.O.Dodd. Both these men were Elders in the Stanbury, Missouri Church. Although there were many inaccuracies in the book, it does form the foundation for the fact that the Church never died out and can actually be traced all the way back, even though there are gaps, to the first century Church.

In the 1600s, Seventh Day Baptists began to flourish in England, and they too were a part of the remnant Church. Many of our early settlers were of various Sabbath keeping groups, including the Seventh Day Baptists and the Church of God. The founders of the Rhode Island colony, including Roger Williams, were members of the Church. While the Seventh Day Baptists and other Seventh Day worshippers had many differences in their doctrines, there was a small remnant group among them that constituted the Church of God. They were the ones who believed the doctrines being taught by the Worldwide Church of God today. While some did not believe in keeping the Holy Days, there were others among them who did keep the Holy Days. Also, in their very early days, many of the Waldensians and Moravians were Sabbath keepers, although they later drifted totally into Sunday keeping.

Sabbath keepers, while scattered and of no strength as far as organization was concerned, finally began to come together in the early 1800s. That was during the time that the Adventist movement, which believed that Christ would return in 1844, was commonly accepted among both Sunday keepers and Sabbath keepers. Of course, He did not. They had been reading too much into prophetic events, and setting dates, which the Bible tells us not to do.

Ellen G. White was one of the leaders of the Adventist movement and was originally a Sunday keeper. She later came into the knowledge of the Sabbath. It was in 1844, when the Adventists realized that they had made an error in attempting to pick a date for Christ's return, that a split came in the Sabbath-keeping Adventist church. A large group followed Ellen G. White, and that was the beginning of what is now known as the Seventh Day Adventist Church, probably the largest Sabbath-keeping Church in the (pg. 277) world. While at one time they taught many of the doctrines now taught by the Worldwide Church, they have, over the years, fallen away and drifted into many pagan beliefs, including the keeping of Christmas.

It was during that split in 1844 that the Church of God Seventh Day was formed. There were probably also many other splinter groups that are hard to identify that sprung up in various places. The Bible Sabbath Association in Fairview, Oklahoma publishes a directory of Sabbath-keeping groups. This directory lists Sabbathkeeping groups of various doctrinal beliefs. Included in the listing is a large number of groups having the same beliefs as the Worldwide Church of God. And interestingly, many of these groups, although very small, in many cases are scattered throughout the world in India, South America, Asia and Africa. In most cases, these far-flung small Churches of God had no contact at all with the Church in the United States. The members of many of these foreign Churches of God say that they have existed for many generations in their little villages. For hundreds of years they have been carrying the same name and believing the same beliefs as the Worldwide Church of God and other similar groups in the United States.

Coming back then to the Church in the States, we find that there was a man named G.G.Rupert who in the very early 1900s produced a publication called "Remnant of Israel." His teachings were again, basically the same believed by the Worldwide Church.

Coming, then, into the 1930s, when Herbert Armstrong came on the scene, we find that there were many splits at that time. They occurred over various minor doctrinal differences, and perhaps one major one, as some did not want to keep the Holy Days and others did. Today, we have the Worldwide Church of God which is by far the largest. Then there is the Church of God Seventh Day, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, which is a result of a split, and the Stanbury group which by that time had relocated to Salem, West Virginia. The Salem, West Virginia church is still in existence in Salem. Neither of these groups any longer keep the annual Holy Days, other than Passover, but otherwise there is essentially no difference in teaching. They have various congregations throughout the world. The Denver Church has a total worldwide membership of perhaps 35,000 with most of the members outside the United States and the Salem church is considerably smaller. Out of the (pg. 278) Salem group emerged the Seventh Day Church of God of Caldwell, Idaho in 1952. This resulted because the Caldwell group wanted to keep the Holy Days. They, too, have several churches throughout the world, having about twenty-five ministers in the United States and 175 in foreign countries. There are many other small groups, some of which emerged from the original Stanbury, Missouri group, and some of which carried through independently from the darkest, most distant annals of Church history.

Parallel to all these groups, and many times mingling among them, were others known as Sacred Name Believers. All of the Sacred Name Believers keep the annual Holy Days. Where they have been able to organize, they are known as the Assemblies of Yahweh. The largest such group is headquartered in Bethel, Pennsylvania, and was formed in 1966 by Jacob Meyer by gathering together various Sacred Name Believers who had been worshipping in and among the other groups known as the Churches of God. The only difference in doctrine between the Holy Day-keeping Churches of God and the Assemblies of Yahweh is the fact that the Assemblies of Yahweh believe that the only names to be used for God and Jesus Christ are original Hebrew names. "Yahweh" comes from the Hebrew word which was spelled YHWH, and is the word from which we get the word Lord. Rather than use the Greek words "Jesus Christ," they adhere to the original Hebrew word, "Yashua Messiah."

And again, just as there are Churches of God throughout the world, there are groups in these same obscure places in foreign countries known as the Assemblies of Yahweh. And again, many of them have been there for hundreds of years with no knowledge or contact with other like groups until the last few years.

All of this proves, then, that while the Worldwide Church of God is not the one and only Church as Herbert Armstrong claims, it is in fact one of the groups in the one and only true Church. The way these doctrines have been preserved over the centuries, even through much turmoil in the Church due to Satan's constant attacks, is more than ample proof that these beliefs, these teachings and doctrines, are true, and whoever believes in them and follows them is in fact a member of the one true Church, the true Church of God, the Body of Christ, no matter what its actual name.

Christ said that He would not forsake His Church, and by keeping it dispersed, Satan could never destroy it. But certainly Satan (pg. 279) would go after Herbert Armstrong with a vengeance, as Armstrong was making an impact with his message. Once he allowed his ego and hisself-proclaimed importance to become dominant in his thinking to the point to where he proclaimed himself an apostle, he was vulnerable to Satan's attack, and this attack came through Stanley Rader, who can only be described as a tool, an instrument of Satan. Once Rader was able to prey on Armstrong's human weaknesses, he had him. And as long as Garner Ted was having his problems, Rader thought that he could control him also. However, Garner Ted apparently has overcome his problems and repented. After years of battling these serious problems, he apparently overcame them and was able to stand against Rader. No longer would Rader be able to hold anything over his head. In 1978 Garner Ted was able to meet Rader head on and, for whatever purpose, God allowed Rader to prevail over Garner Ted. It could only have been that God allowed this in order to purge and purify the Worldwide Church. As Garner Ted said, "Rader has something on just about everybody he wants to control, but he has nothing on me. My past is my past."  And referring to the problems and the excesses of the Worldwide Church he said, "I praise God, and thank Jesus Christ my Savior that I am no longer a part of any of that - that any part I remotely had in it I have vomited it up in deep heartfelt repentance before my God". Referring to the problems of the past, Garner Ted said, during the time of his greatest troubles, that "it was just becoming more than I could cope with. I was nearly having my own private mental breakdown." His wife Shirley had said that it was the most horrible time of their lives and that it was only through the grace of God that they pulled through it. Garner Ted has recently said, "I can only go forward now. Anything bad that could be said about anyone has already been said about me, there's nothing more they can say. And that's all behind now. I can now go forward and do the work of Jesus Christ as He leads me."

So while Garner Ted ultimately ended up out of the Worldwide Church, what had Rader really been up to with Herbert Armstrong?