Why There Is No Need for Prophets in Armstrongism
(Or Why the Church of God Has Turned Into a Pathetic Prophet Factory
for Delusional Narcissists)
Silent Pilgrim
Armstrongism — the restored truths taught by Herbert W. Armstrong and actually held by the "true" Churches of God — has always been brutally clear on one thing: we don’t need prophets today. Not one. Not even a microscopic one. Yet, despite Mr. Armstrong’s repeated, crystal-clear declarations, the Armstrong world has devolved into an open casting call for every self-important, self-deluded spiritual narcissist who wakes up convinced that God is sitting in heaven twiddling His thumbs waiting for their brilliant “revelations.” It’s no longer a serious work — it’s become a ridiculous circus sideshow starring an endless parade of spiritual clowns in ill-fitting prophetic costumes.
Here’s the plain, unfiltered truth:
1. Mr. Armstrong Made It Perfectly Clear — He Wasn’t a Prophet, and Neither Is Anyone Else
Herbert W. Armstrong didn’t mince words. In the February 1972 Tomorrow’s World he flatly declared:
Emphatically I am NOT a prophet… There is no such human prophet living today! The Bible is the written Word of God — and, for our time now, it is COMPLETE!
He called himself an apostle — raised up to restore what had been lost — not some mystic receiving fresh heavenly downloads. But reading comprehension clearly isn’t a strong suit in certain circles. So instead of studying what Mr. Armstrong actually taught, a steady stream of spiritual narcissists crown themselves the next Elijah or God’s personal WhatsApp to the “remnant.” Newsflash: the audition closed decades ago, and none of you made the cut.
2. The Foundation Was Laid Once. Stop Trying to Redig It.
The Church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20). Notice the tense: “was built” — past tense, done deal — not “still under renovation because God left some blanks for you geniuses to fill in.”Mr. Armstrong understood this perfectly. His role was to dust off and proclaim what was already in the Bible, not to play spiritual contractor endlessly pouring fresh concrete on a finished foundation. Yet here we are, endlessly entertained by a circus parade of self-proclaimed prophets insisting God has now given them “new understanding” or “extra revelation.” If Mr. Armstrong’s restored foundation wasn’t good enough for you, maybe stop pretending to be Armstrongist and just admit you’re starting your own private religion.
3. The Bible Is Complete — No “Special Updates” Required
Armstrongism has always taught that the Bible is completely sufficient. Jude 3 says the faith was “once for all delivered.” Revelation 22:18-19 basically threatens plagues on anyone dumb enough to add to it. Mr. Armstrong repeated this truth relentlessly: the Bible is complete for our time.
But that’s apparently too boring for the prophetic crowd. In comes the latest “man of God” with his shiny new dream, conveniently timed vision, or dramatic “Thus saith the Lord” that — surprise, surprise — perfectly supports whatever agenda (and donation appeal) he’s pushing. This isn’t revelation. It’s pure ego in a cheap prophetic Halloween costume. The Bible already equips us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We don’t need your prophetic updates, dreams, or new inspired revelations. The canon is closed. Take your patches and peddle them somewhere else.
4. The Holy Spirit Works Through the Book, Not Through Ego
Every genuinely converted member has the Holy Spirit living inside them. Its actual job is to open our minds to the Scriptures we already have — not to run a 24/7 divine courier service for every puffed-up “prophet” who believes his warm fuzzy feelings outrank the written Word of God.
Mr. Armstrong spent decades warning against following men or chasing new revelation through human leaders. Yet certain segments of Armstrongism still sprint after every new “God told me…” guy like he’s selling spiritual cocaine. They need the drama. They need the secret knowledge. They need to feel special. News flash: the real drama ended when the canon closed. What you’re addicted to now is mostly just ego wearing a fake prophet beard or a polyester suit.
5. The Commission Is to Proclaim the Gospel, Not Wait for the Next “Word from the Lord”
The end-time commission is simple: preach the restored gospel of the Kingdom of God as a witness to all nations (Matthew 24:14) and prepare a people for Christ’s return. That’s already a tall order without turning the Church into an open-mic night for every wannabe Elijah who wants to hijack the Work with his latest “urgent revelation from on high.”
But that’s exactly what keeps happening. Instead of getting the gospel out, too many are busy playing prophecy referee — testing dreams, visions, and increasingly ridiculous declarations. It’s almost as if actually doing what Mr. Armstrong restored isn’t exciting enough. They need constant fresh “special instructions” to keep the adrenaline going. Here’s a radical idea: maybe the Work would move faster if we stopped wasting time babysitting these prophetic clowns and just did the job Christ actually gave us. The commission is to proclaim the finished truth, not to camp out waiting for the next heavenly text message.
Conclusion:
In true Armstrongism, there is no need for prophets today because God has already given us everything we need: His Son as the final revelation, a completed foundation, a sufficient Bible, and His Holy Spirit to guide us through that Bible.Yet the Armstrong scene remains a pathetic, overcrowded clown car stuffed full of wannabe prophets — each one more desperate, more self-important, and more delusional than the last. Take Bob Thiel, the self-anointed “Dr. Bob” who keeps pompously declaring himself a prophet, chasing radio interviews, and bragging about “new doors” while his endless stream of failed predictions and recycled “revelations” pile up like yesterday’s garbage. Or Dave Pack, the Wadsworth date-setting circus ringmaster who has spent years terrorizing his members with one false deadline after another, forcing them to sell everything they own while he quietly moves the goalposts again and again like a con man who never runs out of new excuses.
These modern “prophets” smugly strut around convinced that Mr. Armstrong’s restoration was a tragic failure until they majestically arrived to fix what God supposedly botched. It would be side-splitting comedy if it weren’t so embarrassingly destructive to the very Work they claim to love.
Here’s the cold, hard wake-up call for every self-appointed Elijah still hovering around (especially you, Bob Thiel and Dave Pack): Mr. Armstrong already shut this nonsense down decades ago with zero ambiguity — “There is no such human prophet living today.”
So if you’re still sitting there ignoring the Book while breathlessly awaiting (or delivering) your next glittering “Thus saith the Lord,” do the rest of us a massive favor: hang up the cheap prophetic robe, quit trying to slap your ego-driven fan fiction onto God’s finished masterpiece, and either get with the actual program or get out of the way. The foundation is laid. The Bible is complete. The gospel must go out — without your ridiculous, self-glorifying additions, thank you very much.
That’s not a lack of faith.
That’s simply refusing to let puffed-up pretenders like Bob Thiel and Dave Pack turn God’s completed work into their personal vanity circus and member-exploiting sideshow.
Quote Thiel's failed predictions
Compare to other false prophets
Intensify Pack's exploitation jabs
Think Harder
