It is always fascinating to see how people in the Churches of God need to feel special. God has supposedly called them into a secret organization that few will ever know about—one where the chosen few are being trained to become gods and goddesses in some mythical Mickey Mouse kingdom their dear leaders have invented for them. Some will defend that fantasy to the death. But even the fantasy comes with fine print. Unless you believe Herbert W. Armstrong was the end-time apostle who restored “all things,” you are excluded from the inner circle. Otherwise you might as well go back to being a Pentecostal, running down the aisle while belting out “The Old Rugged Cross.” (Yes, certain ministers actually taught that emotional worship was proof of spiritual inferiority back in the late ’60s and early ’70s.)This isn’t just quirky theology. It is a system built on exclusivity, hierarchy, and the absolute necessity of one man’s apostolic credentials. And today’s splinter groups have turned that system into a self-devouring contradiction.
the general attitude of todays COGs
They’re excluding the Authority - Mr Armstrong as an apostle The Truth is HWA in his sermons warned to avoid them so their legitimacy totally depends on discrediting the apostle otherwise they become their own contradiction. You and I both know if not for Loma and Herbert Armstrong they’d all still be singing The Old Rugged Cross and the holy rollers would be jumping around the altar like jackasses, thinking they have the Holy Ghost yet these same folk forgot where they came from and more importantly, who brought them here, To deny Isa 40 changes EVERYTHING especially the duel part of prophecy in the spiritual and physical sense. Today, they believe God is accepting all as long as they have COG in their title BUT first they must teach. Mr Armstrong was a fake.And their splinter pastor general is the one God appointed to lead them to the world tomorrow.
Some of today's Churches of God routinely downplay or sideline Herbert Armstrong’s unique authority while still claiming to be the faithful continuation of “the Work” he started. Their legitimacy, however, rests entirely on the premise that Armstrong restored lost truth that the rest of Christianity had abandoned. If he was not the apostle who did that restoring, then what exactly are they preserving? Nothing more than their own brand of Armstrongism with extra holy days and a stricter diet.
Here is where the New Covenant becomes lethal to this kind of mentality.
The New Covenant, ratified in Jesus’ blood, renders the old covenant “obsolete” (Hebrews 8:13). The law written on stone has been replaced by the law written on hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:10). Justification is by faith in Christ, not by Sabbath-keeping, holy-day observance, tithing to a central organization, or dietary regulations (Galatians 2:16, 3:24-25; Romans 10:4; Colossians 2:16-17). The ceremonial shadows have given way to the reality found in Christ.
Under this covenant, there is no secret inner circle that only the truly enlightened can enter by acknowledging a 20th-century American as God’s final apostle. There is no requirement that believers be trained to become literal gods and goddesses ruling planets in some future Mickey Mouse kingdom. Believers are already adopted as children of God and joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:15-17; Galatians 4:5-7). They are being conformed to the image of the Son (Romans 8:29), partakers of the divine nature through the indwelling Spirit (2 Peter 1:4)—not earning divinity through law-keeping or organizational loyalty.
The gospel is not a hidden mystery reserved for a tiny remnant. It is to be proclaimed openly to every creature (Mark 16:15). The New Covenant does not produce competing “Churches of God” each claiming their pastor general is the one God has appointed to lead everyone into “the World Tomorrow.” It produces one body with Christ as Head (Ephesians 4:4-6; Colossians 1:18).
When today’s groups insist that God is now “accepting all” as long as the name includes “Church of God,” provided they first teach that Mr. Armstrong was a fake or at least not uniquely authoritative, they reveal the game. They must discredit the very apostle whose work they claim to continue—otherwise their existence as separate organizations becomes an obvious contradiction. And every new splinter’s leader then steps forward as the new anointed one for the final era. It is an endless cycle of self-authentication that the New Covenant simply does not need or authorize.
The people who once mocked emotional Pentecostals for thinking they had the Holy Ghost now find themselves in dozens of competing organizations, each convinced it alone has the correct understanding of the “truth” restored by one man. They mock mainstream Christianity for being lawless while quietly reinterpreting the New Covenant to keep as much of the Old Covenant ceremonial system as possible. They speak of dual fulfillments of prophecy while the New Testament repeatedly shows the primary, spiritual fulfillments occurring in Christ and His church.
The New Covenant does not produce secret societies training future gods under the authority of a modern apostle. It produces forgiven sinners who are already seated with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6), already citizens of the Kingdom (Colossians 1:13), already indwelt by the Spirit who writes God’s law on their hearts. No special badge, no required belief in Herbert Armstrong’s apostleship, no future deification program required.
The quote—or rather the entire attitude—that one must belong to the right splinter, acknowledge the right apostle, and keep the right list of Old Covenant practices to be truly special… that attitude is not merely outdated. In light of the New Covenant, it is exposed as unnecessary, unbiblical, and ultimately self-contradictory.
The splinters can keep arguing over who gets to wear the apostolic mantle. The New Covenant has already moved on. Christ is sufficient. The work is finished. And the only “inner circle” that matters is the one open to everyone who comes to the Father through the Son.
The New Covenant, ratified in Jesus’ blood, renders the old covenant “obsolete” (Hebrews 8:13). The law written on stone has been replaced by the law written on hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:10). Justification is by faith in Christ, not by Sabbath-keeping, holy-day observance, tithing to a central organization, or dietary regulations (Galatians 2:16, 3:24-25; Romans 10:4; Colossians 2:16-17). The ceremonial shadows have given way to the reality found in Christ.
Under this covenant, there is no secret inner circle that only the truly enlightened can enter by acknowledging a 20th-century American as God’s final apostle. There is no requirement that believers be trained to become literal gods and goddesses ruling planets in some future Mickey Mouse kingdom. Believers are already adopted as children of God and joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:15-17; Galatians 4:5-7). They are being conformed to the image of the Son (Romans 8:29), partakers of the divine nature through the indwelling Spirit (2 Peter 1:4)—not earning divinity through law-keeping or organizational loyalty.
The gospel is not a hidden mystery reserved for a tiny remnant. It is to be proclaimed openly to every creature (Mark 16:15). The New Covenant does not produce competing “Churches of God” each claiming their pastor general is the one God has appointed to lead everyone into “the World Tomorrow.” It produces one body with Christ as Head (Ephesians 4:4-6; Colossians 1:18).
When today’s groups insist that God is now “accepting all” as long as the name includes “Church of God,” provided they first teach that Mr. Armstrong was a fake or at least not uniquely authoritative, they reveal the game. They must discredit the very apostle whose work they claim to continue—otherwise their existence as separate organizations becomes an obvious contradiction. And every new splinter’s leader then steps forward as the new anointed one for the final era. It is an endless cycle of self-authentication that the New Covenant simply does not need or authorize.
The people who once mocked emotional Pentecostals for thinking they had the Holy Ghost now find themselves in dozens of competing organizations, each convinced it alone has the correct understanding of the “truth” restored by one man. They mock mainstream Christianity for being lawless while quietly reinterpreting the New Covenant to keep as much of the Old Covenant ceremonial system as possible. They speak of dual fulfillments of prophecy while the New Testament repeatedly shows the primary, spiritual fulfillments occurring in Christ and His church.
The New Covenant does not produce secret societies training future gods under the authority of a modern apostle. It produces forgiven sinners who are already seated with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6), already citizens of the Kingdom (Colossians 1:13), already indwelt by the Spirit who writes God’s law on their hearts. No special badge, no required belief in Herbert Armstrong’s apostleship, no future deification program required.
The quote—or rather the entire attitude—that one must belong to the right splinter, acknowledge the right apostle, and keep the right list of Old Covenant practices to be truly special… that attitude is not merely outdated. In light of the New Covenant, it is exposed as unnecessary, unbiblical, and ultimately self-contradictory.
The splinters can keep arguing over who gets to wear the apostolic mantle. The New Covenant has already moved on. Christ is sufficient. The work is finished. And the only “inner circle” that matters is the one open to everyone who comes to the Father through the Son.
11 comments:
Is the extent to which you hate the long dead Herbert Armstrong the counter balance to the extent you must have worshipped him during the 1970's ?
Is this hate filled blog the price you pay for your own man worship ?
I grew up Pentecostal, thankfully, parents were God fearing. Then I read John 3:13 after hearing the mantra you go to heaven when you die.......
I do not hate Herbert. There's just a certain natural sense of revulsion, and violent disgust that I experience when thinking about him. It's kind of like smelling poopie! But it's creeper. It kind of naturally sneaks up on you and intensifies with time and exposure. I find myself enjoying life much more in his absence!!! He should be cancelled and forgotten.
Armstrongism teaches that no one goes to heaven at death, and John 3:13 is the verse Armstrong used constantly to attack mainstream Christian teaching. In Armstrong circles,
John 3:13 functions as an “awakening verse,” so it’s not surprising you’d hear it framed that way. But even if someone accepts Armstrong’s interpretation of that one text, it doesn’t resolve the much larger problem , his system contains dozens of teachings that are demonstrably false. John 3:13 is drilled into followers as a way of dismissing other Christians as “misled” rather than engaging with the range of doctrinal issues.
Oddly, John 3:13 is regarded by most Christians and scholars as a statement about Jesus’ authority, not the afterlife. It means no human has gone up to heaven to bring back revelation. Armstrongism uses it as a proof‑text against heaven at death, but that’s not what the verse is about. Only Armstrong and a few fringe groups interpret it in that way.
In one sense what you say is true - many people do eventually awaken to the fault of elevating a man. That can create understandable animosity toward someone who was seen as speaking for God and directing their lives. But it’s likely more accurate to say people became aware of the false claims of apostolic authority, the hundreds of failed prophecies, and the doctrines that harmed families and divided churches, not to mention a long list of teachings that simply do not stand up to scrutiny. Critiquing those things isn’t hatred; it’s analysis. If pointing out documented problems is interpreted as “hate,” that likely says more about the reader’s expectations than about the content itself.
PS: I’m interested why you visit if you see the blog as “hate filled.” If that’s really how it appears to you, what draws you here?
You cannot be honest with yourself nevermind with others. So you write contradictory rubbish.
Contradictory rubbish is pretending that truth and good fruits are a two-way highway for the observant Armstrongite, 2:05! After being beaten up badly enough by it, in the end you realize that it was simply a man made trap in that the more seriously you take the dire prophecies, and the more diligently you practice the teachings, your personal conditions become worse, not blessed. You suddenly realize that you have been a long-term victim! Plus, the long-promised fulfillment of the prophecies never comes. The most accurate portrait of Herbert would be a man riding along on his mule, with his stick, a string, and the graven rubber image of a carrot at the end of the string, dangling in front of the mule. You don't experience growth in your talents and vocation because you are stunted by a mixture of deception, authoritarianism, promises and fear. The only reason all the splinters even exist today is that the ministers continue to use the failed prophecies to paint a fearsome future, based on provably bogus national identities. Basic pain motivation, in which the pain requires constant increase in intensity in order to continuously achieve the same results.
God says He hates false prophets, and false teachers. HWA was both! Why do you people who won't sing "Ding Dong, The Witch Is Dead" along with us even pop in here to take a look? Be honest! You are experiencing cognitive dissonance in your mind, aren't you? You realize you have some work to do to get it resolved, so you keep on coming back. You type things supposedly to us, but you really mean them for yourself!
Well, David is still in the grave and we're headin' there........Eccl 9:10; Acts 2:29
Even if someone accepts Armstrong’s reading of John 3:13, the argument still fails because: Ecclesiastes 9:10 is a wisdom saying, not a doctrinal statement about the afterlife.
Acts 2:29 is Peter’s argument about the resurrection, not heaven at death.
John 3:13 is not addressing the state of the dead; it is a claim about Jesus’ authority as the one who brings revelation from God. Armstrongism treats these verses as if they form a single doctrinal chain, but they do not.
The larger point is that Scripture does not give us a detailed map of what awaits at death, and Armstrong’s selective proof‑texting cannot resolve questions the biblical texts themselves leave open.
You waffle on and on with wishful thinking, clutching at straws. You think everyone else are so less intelligent than you and are your stupid mental patients. You even use this blog to stalk people's google searches ect...using internet to track others.We know what you do.
Life and people are far more complicated, intelligent and blessed than you would ever give credit. You forever forget about God in 2026 whilst you harp on about long dead men and desiring immature mockery of others.
The real problem with being double minded is the lies you have to live with, both telling them to others and yourselves.
You selfishly use UCG for your ownselves, and care nothing for UCG beliefs or the members whom you use aswell.
I hope and pray these immature sarcastic comments come from a unusual sense of humour and not really meant, because they are sooo patronizing, their riddiiculous and hilarious! and show a great misunderstanding of the people of God.
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