Did Herbert W. Armstrong Really Have the Power to "Bind and Loose" on Earth and in Heaven?

 

Did Herbert W. Armstrong Really Have the Power to "Bind and Loose" 

on Earth and in Heaven?

Samuel Kitchen claims that Herbert Armstrong had the keys to bind and loose things on earth and in heaven, but did he really?

Herbert W. Armstrong loved to position himself as Christ's one and only end-time apostle, complete with the divine authority to "bind and loose" doctrines, practices, and even people's eternal destinies. He didn't just hint at it—he declared it with the full weight of his office. In a November 8, 1978, member letter, he made it "OFFICIAL" that this authority belonged exclusively to "Christ's present-day Apostle," not to lower-rank ministers or the church as a body. In August 1978, he warned that any "separated individual believer" trying to get salvation on his own or by following some man or denomination was "CUT OFF" from the true teaching that Christ reveals only through His apostle.

He doubled down: Disagree on doctrine? You're out of harmony with God's one Church. And that Church, of course, speaks only what Christ taught His apostle. Nice setup if you're the apostle.

This wasn't some minor administrative quirk. It was the theological engine that powered the entire WCG system of one-man rule, mandatory tithing, prophetic speculation, and disfellowshipping anyone who dared question the party line. But was HWA actually qualified to wield this authority? And more importantly, is the way he framed it biblical—or is it rank heresy that has left a trail of spiritual wreckage across decades of Armstrongism?

The phrase comes from Matthew 16:19 (to Peter) and Matthew 18:18 (in the context of church discipline). In first-century Jewish usage, "binding and loosing" referred to authoritative teaching: declaring what Scripture forbade or permitted, exercising discipline, and pronouncing forgiveness or retaining guilt. It was never a blank check for one man to invent new doctrines, override the Bible, or act as a spiritual dictator.

Peter had a unique foundational role, but even that was shared. The church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (past tense—Ephesians 2:20), with Christ as the cornerstone. Acts 15 shows a council of apostles and elders making decisions together. Church discipline in 1 Corinthians 5 and 2 Corinthians 2 involved the congregation, not a lone apostle issuing decrees from headquarters. The New Testament knows nothing of an ongoing "chief apostle" office that funnels all truth through one self-appointed successor.

True apostolic authority was confirmed by eyewitness testimony of the risen Christ and miraculous signs (Acts 1:21-22; 2 Corinthians 12:12). HWA met none of those qualifications. His "new truths" were often recycled British Israelism, calendar theories, and prophetic guesses that failed spectacularly. Scripture is sufficient (2 Timothy 3:16-17); we don't need a latter-day apostle to keep updating it.

By claiming exclusive access to "TRUE TEACHING" that Christ reveals only through him, HWA turned the gospel into a franchise operation. Step outside his church? Cut off. Disagree with the apostle? Out of harmony with God Himself. This wasn't shepherding God's flock—it was building a personality cult where loyalty to HWA became the litmus test for salvation.

This doctrine enabled decades of control: dictating marriages, finances, medical decisions, and even what members could read or think. It elevated one flawed man above the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9) and the direct access to Christ promised in the New Covenant (Hebrews 4:14-16). The Holy Spirit leads God's people into truth collectively (John 16:13), not through a Pasadena bottleneck.

The splinters have carried this virus forward. Whether it's Dave Pack's "apostle" delusions in Wadsworth, Bob Thiel's crackpot pronouncements, or any of the other self-appointed Elijahs and Zerubbabels, the pattern remains: one man at the top, binding and loosing whatever serves the current narrative, while members are warned against "following men" (except, of course, the right one).

Let's call this what it is: a masterful theological con job that would make a used car salesman blush. Herbert Armstrong didn't just misunderstand "binding and loosing"—he weaponized it to crown himself the indispensable middleman between you and God. Forget the finished work of Christ, the sufficiency of Scripture, or the New Covenant reality of grace through faith. No, salvation required staying tuned to the apostle's latest epistle, checkbook open and critical thinking switched firmly to "off."

The sheer arrogance is almost comical. Here was a man who couldn't even keep his own prophecies straight, who changed doctrines more often than most people change socks, declaring himself the sole channel of divine truth while labeling everyone else "cut off." If that isn't the spirit of Antichrist—exalting himself above all that is called God (2 Thessalonians 2:4)—it's doing a damn fine imitation.

Thank God the New Covenant tears up this kind of spiritual extortion racket. No human organization or self-proclaimed apostle stands between you and the Savior. The Holy Spirit isn't on payroll at any headquarters. The priesthood of believers isn't a suggestion—it's reality. You don't need to "get your salvation all by yourself" in isolation, but neither do you need to submit to some modern-day pharisee with a mailing list and a God complex.

The wreckage is everywhere: ruined families, devastated finances, failed prophecies stacked like cordwood, and generations still trapped in fear because they were taught that leaving "the Church" meant leaving God. But the truth is the opposite. Real freedom in Christ begins when you stop following men who bind heavy burdens and start walking in the liberty purchased by the blood of the Lamb.

If you're still entangled in this mess—whether in a major splinter or some tiny "one true church" remnant—consider this your invitation to the exit ramp. Test everything against Scripture, not against the latest apostle's decree. The real Chief Apostle finished His work 2,000 years ago. He doesn't need a Pasadena successor or a self-appointed splinter apostle/prophet/chief overseer/pastor general.