Forty years ago on January 16, 1986, Herbert Armstrong died. Various COG groups have amped up their idolization of the guy a lot in the last few days. Here are some words of wisdom from Gerald Weston about Herbert Armstrong.
HWA brought prophecy to worldly ministers throughout their lifetime. Many never thought about it till Herb mentioned it. Forget decades of false prophecies. To the broader Christian world (and even his own church's eventual leadership), his message contained significant theological errors, unfulfilled prophecies, and departures from historic Christianity.
Several specific prophecies failed to materialize (e.g., predictions tied to 1972–1975 events, a coming "United States of Europe" under a beast power by certain dates). It only takes ONE failed prophecy, and God says they are liars and not to be followed. Just ask Bob Thiel about that one.
An Emissary of Truth
The impact Mr. Armstrong had on religion during his lifetime was immense. You might say that he put Bible prophecy “on the map,” so to speak. It is difficult to know how many professing Christian ministers read his works and listened to his radio programs, but the number must be sizeable. In the 1960s, you could not drive anywhere in North America at night and not hear his voice, or that of his son, over the radio—usually more than once.
Today, we take for granted many doctrines that God revealed through Mr. Armstrong. One is the meaning of life—that we can be born into the Family of God. This is so obvious from the Scriptures that one must wonder why it is not generally understood by all. But the answer is found in another doctrine God revealed through him. It was while Carol and I were at Ambassador College that God began to open Mr. Armstrong’s mind to a “new” doctrine. He knew that the Bible does not teach that man has an immortal soul, but he also realized that man has a capacity for intelligence shared by no other physical creature. It took him several years to come to understand the truth of the spirit in man—but today, as we read 1 Corinthians 2:11 and other passages on the subject, that truth jumps off the page.
No comments:
Post a Comment