Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders

Saturday, April 1, 2017

The Mind You Save May Be Your Own



1. Tacit Enabler - Supports another's bad habits by staying silent. 

2. Overt Enabler - Supports another's bad habits by providing assistance such as money, transportation, approval, etc... 

A person who supports another person's bad or dangerous habits  (Author note: Or interpretations, title taking and  rules for others to follow)

Enablers tend to fear calling others on their destructive habits because these "others" tend to be friends, family or others close to the enabler. 

Thus, rather than risk losing the love, respect, friendship or contact with the person, the enabler chooses instead to play it safe and watch the other slowly destroy themselves or others through their own actions.
The Churches of God are full of enablers and those who, at best, are standing up on the inside, i.e. reserving judgment or actually disagreeing on the inside, but sitting down dutifully on the outside.  
From the rubber stamping church board or council, to the congregants as a whole, the crazy man who dreams up, surely finds himself spoken of by the prophets or simply seizes his place and title through the shear power of his will and narcissism, eventually provides everyone that enables a reason to give pause for themselves to ask, "why do?did I do that?"
Example:  From "Why Unification Now?"  Dave Pack, 2013
"15) Next, for those who will see the value of how to pursue spiritual matters, there is this: After fervently seeking God about it, not one reason the prophecy is off this year ever emerged in the minds of even one of our 16 Headquarters ministers! I (we) have NEVER prayed about, studied over, meditated on, fasted about and counseled with other ministers regarding a subject more than this one—in fact no other subject is even close!Now comes a series of reasons Haggai’s prophecy will be fulfilled this year. 

Shame on these still unknown 16 who should know better by now

16) Similarly, as questions emerged throughout our pursuit of truth with the many details of the prophecy, so many of these details kept coming clear as direct answers to prayer. And these were often immediate.

These prayers and truths weren't really answered and the truths weren't true.  They were only "immediate" because Dave already knew what he was going to say and do.  Anyone within the enablers ever bother to point this out to Dave Pack ever?  

If not:



Sadly, and of course, Dave Pack was miserably wrong in 2013 about all this which needs to be provided from time to time to remind his and other enablers of bad theology and terrible spiritual leadership they have a responsibility to speak up and question "if you were this wrong then with such enthusiasm and surety, why would we think you are correct this time?"

***

"Now comes a series of reasons Haggai’s prophecy will be fulfilled this year. (2013) They are summarized, with only a very little detail added. More could be said of each, but the descriptions given will suffice to those willing to think just a little about them. Realize there are over 30 more reasons—many of them very powerful—that I have left off the list because some will be covered later or because they would only be recognized as proofs by our Headquarters ministry (involving various miracles, some big). Readers would be largely unable to appreciate them as proofs:

1) Understanding the meaning of the prophecy, starting with Haggai 1:2, automatically carries the requirement of taking a position on it. This cannot be avoided after one learns it. Think about this. The position of the remnant is that “the time is not come” to rebuild God’s House. Are they right or wrong? God indicts their thinking, meaning they are wrong! If the prophecy is not now, the net effect would be that God agrees with the remnant’s view. Worse, so should those currently in God’s one Church because they now know the meaning of the prophecy. Think this through. One does or does not agree with the remnant. God does not—and we do not. The time is now!  (2013) Let’s go further.

2) Directly related, why (or how) would God command the remnant to “Go…build the House!” (Hag. 1:8)—but not mean NOW? (2013) How could He mean some undetermined future year? Why would God tell them (twice) to “consider their ways”—but not mean that they should do this now? Try to imagine God saying, “Consider your ways, but take your time. There’s no hurry. In fact, take years to think it over—even though you have been out of My Church for 20 years! You don’t have to DO anything now.”

3) Also related, if God waited 2,500 years to reveal the prophecy’s meaning (3,000 years when various related much older Psalms are considered), is not His waiting done? Does His revealing it not signal that He has reached the time to fulfill it rather than having reached a point one, two or three years out?

4) Next, why would God wait longer? What would He wait for? The remnant is absolutely ripe for deliverance.

5) Internally, and this is no small thing, God’s Church is truly ready to expand the Work in a BIG WAY. The prophecy features this as the MAIN PURPOSE of the remnant returning! Without the prophecy’s fulfillment, this expansion would be delayed one year—or more! Why would God notify His Church of the prophecy’s existence at the very same time our staff is ready, our websites are ready, our literature is ready and even God’s college is ready for more students if the prophecy were not imminent? Why would God notify His Church if HE were not ready?

6) Related to this, the buildings on our campus can very soon handle significantly more staff than we have now. This is already true without the other two buildings scheduled for completion in the late fall. However, this extra size works perfectly if the prophecy occurs this year.

7) Also related, but separate, our infrastructure is ready to receive and serve a much larger flock this fall! This includes field ministry being ready, but also other things.

8) Maturing interest from many in the world due to one year of explosive television expansion requires many more laborers in the ministry by this autumn.

9) The Restored Church of God is experiencing an AWESOME period of growth and development at this time—in the runup period just prior to the prophecy’s fulfillment. This is putting it mildly! To us, this is powerful indication that we are on the right track for this year—that God is not only pleased with His Church, but that He is helping it get ready.

10) If the prophecy did not happen this year, (2013) the remnant would remain another year (or more) undergoing ever worsening false ways. Worse off, they would have a commensurate shorter time to spiritually recover before the Tribulation. Think worse condition, less time to recover.

11) If reunification occurred next year (or any year after), those with God’s Spirit would have one more year cut off from God’s Church. This carries the potential for more to quench the Holy Spirit (I Thes. 5:19) and lose salvation.

12) The readers of the Haggai prophecy announcements (this is #21) who believed them would be the most disillusioned and the biggest candidates to QUIT everything if God did not return His people to one House this year! This would work directly against what God is doing—directly opposite His overall purpose.

13) Further desolation (Hag. 1:11; 2:16-17) from God of the splinter “houses” would practically wipe out the few remaining senior leaders in them. This includes pastors and elders, all of whom are NEEDED TO CARRY OUT THE BIG WORK!

14) The onset of all future years would never come with clarity—with any certainty! Would God leave thousands who are now aware of this prophecy in such a condition? Hardly.

(Author: Well there ya go enablers.  Dave cannot, no matter how hard he tries, "clarify" his mistaken ideas about himself or his views of scripture after being so off base theologically)

15) Next, for those who will see the value of how to pursue spiritual matters, there is this: After fervently seeking God about it, not one reason the prophecy is off this year (2013) ever emerged in the minds of even one of our 16 Headquarters ministers! I (we) have NEVER prayed about, studied over, meditated on, fasted about and counseled with other ministers regarding a subject more than this one—in fact no other subject is even close!

16) Similarly, as questions emerged throughout our pursuit of truth with the many details of the prophecy, so many of these details kept coming clear as direct answers to prayer. And these were often immediate.

17) Recall Haggai 1:13: “Then spoke Haggai the Lord’s messenger in the Lord’s message unto the people…” Haggai is the messenger to God’s people, with what is an all-important message from God. Would not God make clear in such a unique message He describes as “the Lord’s message unto His people” the correct date for action? What kind of message would it be if people did not know WHEN TO CARRY IT OUT?

(Author's note:  A false one perpetuated by enablers?)

18) Since the apostasy, God had not wanted the remnant back in His Church, but now He does. He would first reveal the remnant to His leader, then tell him how they would return, and finally that He meant NOW. This was the order in which these things became apparent.

19) Imagine God not revealing the year the remnant is coming—but only the day and month. Vast amounts of time would have been wasted by His leaders studying and preparing for something that was not imminent. Would God put His Church in such a position?

   20) Of interest, God revealed to me during ELUL four years ago my role as the modern Joshua.

(Authors note:  And enablers allowed him to perpetuate this fantasy)

21) Also of interest, I and The Restored Church of God learned about the New Testament remnant last ELUL (August). Let’s ask: Would timing of when we were shown the prophecy not be tied to its unique timing of fulfillment during the very next available ELUL?

22) We might ask: does the DEVIL know the prophecy is on? For those who understand how the devil works—that he counterfeits EVERYTHING God does—a variety of counterfeit theories have recently appeared about how God is going to reunite His people. Should not the devil be expected to do this at the time it would cause the most confusion? You will soon see that most of these theories are coming from men standing on the wrong side of this prophecy.

23) With God’s people split up, it is now almost impossible to do a powerful Work. (This might be the one area where the splinter leaders would agree.) God’s Church is largely stymied in working with both brethren and the world because of the confusion and deception from top leaders about where God’s Church is, who has the truth, who is carrying on after Mr. Armstrong, who is doing the true Work, etc. (Reread #22.) There is no other way to proceed than for God to remove leaders who have lulled with deceit many thousands who were blind (Rev. 3:17) to begin with.

24) World conditions cry out for a big Work NOW!!!—not one or more years from now (2013.)

Please stop enabling the delusional. The life you save may be your own.




7 comments:

  1. This perfectly illustrates how a wrong application or understanding of prayer and prophecy actually ends up causing damage, confusion, and discredit to somebody's ministry. But, this is a common phenomenon in the Armstrong churches of God. Dave and the naive 16 obviously felt that God was confirming Dave's ideas through their prayers. They most likely even believed that Dave was channeling God.

    They take prophecy as being a function of math. They believe that their nearly inaudible messages are making the world accountable. They don't take into account that repentance or even partial repentance can delay or alter the fulfillment of prophecy. Therefore, they totally disregard the goodness and good influences that God-fearing non-Armstrong churches infuse into society. And, quite frankly, that is a larger work than Armstrongism could ever aspire to perform, even though HWA flagrantly attempted to marginalize the Sunday-keeping Christians who exhibited better fruits than he did.

    We watch as some dismiss biblical figures, and relegate them to mythhood. That is very chic at this juncture. Thank God that nobody has ever branded Gamaliel as being mythical. He's the one character in the Bible who has actually shed some light on the Armstrong problem!

    BB

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  2. The point if that the church of God does not believe Jesus Christ at all.
    His direct statements are ignored or reworded etc. Yet he is never taken at face value on any subject.
    He tells how to find a fake prophet but the people ignore it and go on with a false prophet anyway.
    Simply put the church has nothing to do with God or Jesus Christ. It is a social climbing club of one upmanship. People climbing on the backs of one another for status, position, power and glory.

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  3. Ray Bankston and his "Last Age Church Of God" seem to fall under this category.

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  4. Don't necessarily assume naivety when downright manipulation is involved.

    Those 16 stayed with Pack because he gave them something and they wanted to keep getting it, so they played along with him. Some of them may know and well understand that he's a bonafide kook, but they feed him his narcissistic source so they can keep getting his goodies.

    Pack is sick.

    And what his myrmidons are doing is feeding into his sickness -- a perverse immoral reprehensible selfish behavior by men who have not one shred of integrity.

    Hell is now building a 10th circle (according to The Onion). Let us hope they will be in it.

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  5. Pack recently said that the resurrection would be in 6 months to 1- 1/2 years from now, and specifically called out by name several who would be brought back to life. The "prophecy" mentioned in this article was 3- 1/2 years ago and failed. Let's see what happens in 1- 1/2 years, and how he explains another prophetic failure away. But, those in RCG will stay put right in their seats because by then there will be another great "prophecy" that will be within the next year or two. So hold on to your seats and start gyrating in excitement for the next big thing that Dave dreams up!

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  6. Pack has a new prophetic timeline listed on his website under "news." We are now in the time just before the man of sin and wizards appear on the world scene!

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  7. One of "almost 'sinless'" Dave Pack's "pack of lies" states:

    "...11) If reunification occurred next year (or any year after), those with God’s Spirit would have one more year cut off from God’s Church. This carries the potential for more to quench the Holy Spirit (I Thes. 5:19) and lose salvation...."

    Huh? Where does Dave Pack get this stuff? From his father ("Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." John 8:44)?

    Dave's words sound very hopeless for any associated with any of the xcogs...even those of God's Church. Why would anyone want to be "reunified"...especially with Dave Pack himSELF?

    There is far more hope for the entire world, that Jesus Christ was sent NOT to condemn (John 3:17 "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."), than there is for any that Dave Pack is striving to capture to himSELF!

    How do we know?

    "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling THE WORLD unto himself, NOT IMPUTING their trespasses unto THEM..." 2 Corinthians 5:19

    Of course, the world, currently under Satan's control, is not yet completely reconciled, but a day, the great last day is coming when it shall be...time will tell.

    Perhaps we could ask Dave Pack: why are you of such little faith?

    God's Church is in the world. If God can't take care of those who were given God's Spirit, then how could God ever have enough power to take care of a world that lacks God's Spirit and CANNOT receive that Spirit (John 14:17) at this time?

    Dave is saying "...those with God's Spirit...lose salvation"? What? Sure, Dave believes in earning one's salvation by works, by doing something, by somehow qualifying oneSELF, by somehow "magically" not quenching God's Spirit.

    I am a believer in the eventual fulfillment of 2 Corinthians 5:19 where God will not impute trespasses to those of the world......or to those of God's Church.

    And/but time will tell...

    John

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