Exposing the underbelly of Armstrongism in all of its wacky glory! Nothing you read here is made up. What you read here is the up to date face of Herbert W Armstrong's legacy. It's the gritty and dirty behind the scenes look at Armstrongism as you have never seen it before!
With all the new crazy self-appointed Chief Overseers, Apostles, Prophets, Pharisees, legalists, and outright liars leading various Churches of God today, it is important to hold these agents of deception accountable.
Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders
Bob Thiel has been having a huge meltdown lately, claiming his prophecies are coming true with recent things Trump has said here in the US and in Davos. It is a literal wet dream come true for Bob. Of course, there is NOTHING he predicted that is unusual or sent by God to his amazing brain. Everything he says he has predicted is drawn straight from news stories and other conservative news aggregators that he reads that fit his narrative. Everything single thing he has "predicted" has been things discussed by people all over the world.
Are all of his mental contortions actually just a Russian disinformation act to deceive Church of God members? Facebook seems to think so:
The story below is from Facebook and is also by a former writer who posted here occasionally. It is his take on joining the Living Church of God at age 19, waking up and recognizing the dissonance, and leaving it and Armstrongism behind. He also wonders about how Herbert Armstrong would be reacting to todays political climate.
I exited a doomsday bible cult almost six years ago. Today is the 40th anniversary of the death of the founder of that cult. His name was Herbert W. Armstrong, and his cult was called the Worldwide Church of God.
I joined this cult when I was 19, just dropped out of college, emotionally vulnerable, confused, obviously scared, and full of anxiety and undealt with childhood stuff.
Nevertheless, it provided the safe space I needed; an alternative reality - a bubble. A place that said the world is so messed up and unfixable because of Satan, the devil, and there was nothing to do but sit back and wait for Jesus to return in (always 3-5 years) to fix everything. All I had to do was pray, pay, stay, and obey.
And that is what I did for 20 years. But then, I started acknowledging the cognitive dissonance that was growing inside my mind. I started challenging the doctrines and could see many of the teachings did not align with the scriptures. I learned the difference between eisegesis and exegesis.
I've expressed this before, but it was learning that Jesus as the Word (Greek: logos) in John 1:1, which means "rational thought," that gave me the green light to question without fear.
By now, the internet was fully developed. The Information Age was here. I studied the character of the now-dead founder. And what I found was a man remarkably similar to Donald J. Trump.
His own father described him as stupid and lazy. He spent his life up to his 40's grifting in sales positions and failing even when it was hard to do in the 1920's. Then he found religion during the Great Depression and managed to preach his way into a pastoral position in the Church of God, Seventh Day.
Arguing he could not preach what one man commanded in the church's hierarchy, he set out to start his own religion based on two key doctrines the Seventh Day Church refused to teach:
1. British-Israelism, a soft version of white supremacy.
2. Commanded observance of annual holy days outlined in the Old Covenant with the ancient nation of Israel.
For a decade, he built an audience using the power of radio out of Pasadena CA. Also during this time, he was commuting to Pasadena, taking his daughter, Dorothy, with him while his wife and sons were left behind, starving most of the time. From the time Dorothy was 13 till she married at 23, HWA was having a sexual relationship...excuse me, HWA was raping her.
HWA learned that grifting religious fear on the radio was making him a lot of money. He eventually opened a college to train young boys, whom he would send all over the country to start churches. These young boys were taught to teach only and exactly what he said.
By the 1960's, he had quite a money-making machine that required members to send 10% of their pre-tax income to him. Another 10% was required to pay for annual holy day meetings and conventions. And another 10% to be sent to Headquarters every 3rd and 6th year of 7-year cycles, to "help the poor and widows" in the cult. In addition, letters would regularly be sent out, frightening (already shit-poor) people into sending in offerings for buildings and additional pet projects. Always with urgency to "finish the Work."
He took his fear-mongering to television, becoming what was really the model for TV evangelism that followed after him. He claimed he was an end-time Apostle sent by Jesus Himself to restore the true teachings of the bible to the last generation. He said he was the prophet, Elijah, prophesied about by Jesus. He set 1975 as the year Jesus would return.
Just as 1975 came and went, so did scandal after scandal concerning sexual promiscuity and crimes, including money laundering and theft. Despite all that, his cult continued to grow, reaching over 150,000 members and raking in over 200 million dollars a year by his death in 1986.
With no strong leader to follow him up, the cult collapsed by 1993. It was at this time that pastors and evangelists were starting their own competing continuation of HWA's teachings. It has been estimated that there are still over 300 factions started since. The four largest groups today being:
1. The United Church of God
2. The Philadelphia Church of God
3. Church of God, A Worldwide Association
4. The Living Church of God
I stumbled across the Living Church of God in 1992 (originally the Global Church of God, 1992-1998). The imploding of the Worldwide Church of God at the time was brilliantly explained away using prophesy, saying the "falling away" from the true teachings of the true end-time church had to happen first, then Jesus would return and fix everything. And this would, of course, happen in just 3-5 years.
I watched 3-5 years go by for two decades before it started being clear to me that these cults have no idea what they are talking about.
I remember in 2016, as Trump bullied his way to the top of the Republican ticket, members of the cult and even the leadership subtly supported him. This was a problem because one of the core doctrines of the cult was that we do not participate in the "politics of the world." I even preached against supporting Trump one Sabbath. But from that year on, siding with the political conservative climate was more obvious in the writings of the cult and in conversations with fellow members.
These cults, sometimes quietly, sometimes openly, support the MAGA movement right along with the rest of Evangelical churches in America. Some of those members who would argue with me regularly on social media all the way to Trump's 2nd inauguration have oddly disappeared from social media.
I say stay away from all Christian churches in America today unless they are Progressive Christian churches.
If Herbert W. Armstrong was alive today, he would undoubtedly be a Trump supporter and would most likely had been a guest at the Inauguration, as he spent the waning years of his life flying around in a personal jet giving expensive gifts to heads of state and royalty.
Both grifters. Both pedophiles. Both are malignant narcissists. Both low IQ. Both lazy. Both bipolar. Both I would be deeply ashamed to have ever followed. I gave over six figures of my hard-earned income over a 20 year period to one of them (by extension of copy-cat cults following his death).
But I thank Donald J Trump because he helped me to "see" Herbert W. Armstrong. So I left that religious cult and avoided joining a political cult. I am free now because that is what the truth does. But it comes at a steep price the longer you fight against it.
For the love of all things good and decent, stay away from any groups that claim they are right about everything, have everything figured out, demonize (other) people who disagree with them, use fear to grow, label the core teachings of Jesus, "toxic empathy," and value obedience over morality.
David C. Pack of The Restored Church of God enjoys the thrill of finding the day that cannot tarry after ten long years of toil and disappointment. Ever-rushing to call out recycled malarkey, the Pastor General is mentally and physically exhausted as he continues to hunt his religious white whale across the stormy seas of Bible prophecy.
Dave knows that unless he can deliver the goods by nailing down the date for the arrival of ANYTHING biblical, he is just another wacky former Ambassador College graduate with a non-credentialed degree in outdated theological tomfoolery.
Just like his doppelgänger, Gerald Flurry, unless he accurately discovers the real start of the Kingdom to Israel, or the Kingdom of God, the return of Jesus Christ, the beginning of the 1335, or actual worldwide calamity, he will need to face the reality that he is not a prophet, not an apostle, and God had nothing to do with the decades of his blowhard meanderings.
With each prophetic failure, the picture must shift to continue the illusion of legitimacy. Keeping brethren perpetually on the hook, he and his enablers sell the concept that their journey's end is just over the horizon. They just need to hang on and endure one more shift in understanding.
The Kingdom Will Come on March 18, 2026!
Dave was all piss and vinegar, stewing in his spirit-inspired certainty during “The Greatest Untold Story! (Part 615)” on January 3, 2026, when he landed back on Abib 1 for the fourth year in a row.
Part 615 – January 3, 2026 @ 00:42 Only when all competing dates passed before the last possible date can you have full confidence a date cannot tarry.
@ 07:58 But I do know absolutely and completely when the this Kingdom [7-year] comes, and we're gonna go home knowing that much today. Absolutely. I waited, I was suspicious, I've been suspicious. And I'm gonna show you we finally are gonna reach the date where it's impossible that it's wrong,and you'll know that.
It must give the brethren the warm fuzzies when Dave gets all absolute about his current belief. Here are words Dave likes to say that never age well:
@ 13:17 But I I will I will stake everything on what I'm gonna tell you…
@ 13:40 How about it's about time to say the 7-Year Kingdom begins when all the others did on Abib 1. So if you want to write it down, put down March 18th.
He went on and on and on about how March 18 was the day they had been waiting for. Abib 1 is “the day that cannot tarry,” because this one is as hard as diamond, and the brethren will be “absolutely unable to doubt March 18.”
The brethren were unable to doubt it longer than Dave was because he shifted his tune the following week during “The Greatest Untold Story! (Part 616)” on January 10.
The Kingdom Will Come on February 2, 2026!
Dave started off with manipulative word games to lull his worshipers into a false sense of security.
Part 616 – January 10, 2026 @ 01:06 We are seven years for a kingdom right here [7 glass on table]. In that regard, March 18th is locked with 1335 days thought to be within it.Abib 1 is a hard date.But it's the fifth day of a week. Aren't we to look for a third day?
David C. Pack is the master of mixed messages, blending reassurance with the introduction of doubts to lead his audience into seeing things his way. He chips away at his own teaching from the previous week and takes 37 more minutes to get to the punchline.
@ 38:24 There wouldn't have been a 1335 in their mind because we're learning that's fiction. We have it wrong. We're not waiting for March 18th. We're waiting for 45 days before that.
Dave returns to a three-kingdom structure, convolutes the 1335, 1290, and 7-Year Kingdom, then invents a "clever" nickname for the 45 days before March 18, “the Sour Grapes Kingdom.”
David C. Pack has no qualms about taking the Lord's name in vain each time he puffs his chest, claiming God's authority.
@ 51:53 The 1335, on God's authority, I'm telling you, is not in the in the seven years. If it is, we could never know it. It would be utterly contrary to all the things I've told you.
He serves up humble pie to smash in the members' faces.
@ 1:09:11 I don't take any credit. I couldn't possibly figure any of this out without the help of God.
David C. Pack figured nothing out. When he soon abandons the 45-day First Kingdom before it gets close, he will refuse to consider how many times he spoke in God’s name while teaching it and gave God the credit for putting it in his head. He can never face the implications of doing this for ten years running.
After fear-mongering about Venezuela, Cuba, and Colombia with a ridiculous "society is collapsing" proclamation, Dave tied the timing of world events to the proximity of the Kingdom's arrival.
@ 1:32:27 It can't go on. We're looking for a year where 45 days before an Abib it's a Tuesday. Or, if you will, a Monday night or if you will, a Monday morning here when it's Monday night, sundown in Jerusalem. Remember, you touch 1335. But just touch it. That'd be a Monday morning. February 2nd.
You know the drill by now. Dave will get suspicious, feel uncomfortable, make a startling discovery that changes everything, and set a new date that is certain to fail.
For those keeping score, February 2 and March 18 in chronological order will be David C. Pack's failures 139 and 140. The countdown timer is running on exrcg.org.
The Kingdom Will Come on February 1, 2026!
Update: During “The Greatest Untold Story! (Part 617)” on January 17, 2026, David C. Pack changed his story again and moved the date for the start of the Kingdom to February 1.
Part 617 – January 17, 2026 @ 01:23 It's critical we stay with proof of mid-Shevat. …you're gonna learn that February 1st replaces February 2nd. So, we're not waiting for Monday morning, February 2. We're waiting for Sunday morning, February 1.There's huge, massive proof of that. For now, until I can get to it, for now, just rejoice we’re a day closer.
The members of The Restored Church of God are no closer to David C. Pack being right than they were one week ago or ten years ago. He is a blaspheming, hypocritical liar, a false teacher, a false apostle, and a false prophet. With the abundant documentation of his deceit and failures, it is foolish to believe anything the Pastor General says.
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.
A prime example is Evan Ocheings 2 story Church building he has in his backyard. The Feast complex buildings and auditorium, Evans has on his Property. Evans owns it all.
Bob has spent upwards of $500,000 or more on these projects, not to mention all other church buildings and properties in Africa.
Bob financed Evans' son Bradox Ouma Ocheings Political involvement in 2017, and in 2022, via Papa Evans. Bradox boy is now running for a 3rd run in 2027 in that same election where Bob says someone put his name on the ballot.
Also, Evans has a Gold mining operation-Bob's excuse is that it's only a small gold mining operation! What's a COG Evangelist in Africa doing owning a gold mining business????
Bob put out his yarn about how much he helps these poor people. The truth is, most of that money is spent on Evans and Radsons' adulterous escapades, bribing people and local Chiefs and villagers to pose and take pictures to manipulate Pastor Bobby in believing he has all these thousands when he has nothing really to show for except providing Money to the witchdoctors and local prostitutes.
Bob's own words in previous articles tell the tale of when Church income drops it is because of sins. It sounds like CCOG is getting the curses, according to Bob.
Bob has nothing in Malawi. 3 or 4 thousand disappeared. Sosten caught Church hopping with Wade Cox. The Continuing Church of God, the incredibly fastest shrinking X-WCG church of God by far. Women, Witchdoctors, Woopie, oh my!!!!
Herbert Armstrong taught that God had revealed a number of biblical "truths" to him that had been lost down through the ages since Christ and his apostles walked the earth. He also taught that God wasn't "calling" everyone now, and that only those few whom God had "called" would be able to understand and accept the "truths" that had been revealed to him. Unfortunately, as with many of the other things that Herbert taught, these notions about understanding biblical truth were a perversion of what Scripture actually has to say on the subject.
First, Scripture clearly states that God loves the people of this world and gave his beloved Son so that they could be saved from sin and death. (John 3:16-17) Scripture also reveals that Jesus Christ is the way to God the Father, and that he came to this earth to reveal the Father to us. (Matthew 11:27, Luke 10:22, John 10:25-38 and 14:6-11) Moreover, Scripture reveals that God has spoken to all of us through his Son, and that he has provided the clearest and most perfect revelation of the Father that has ever been shared with humankind. (Hebrews 1:1-3) Now, this is the context for the passage which Armstrong employed to teach that only the few folks whom God had "called" would be able to understand Herbie's "rediscovered truths."
In the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, we read: "For no man can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up." (John 6:44, NLT) Without the aforementioned context, Herbert claimed that this passage demonstrated that only the folks whom God had specifically called to Christ would understand his little package of "truth." However, even without that wider scriptural context, the very context of this particular passage refutes its usefulness as a prooftext for Herbert's understanding!
Christ had just told his disciples that he was the true "bread of life" - the real manna which came down from heaven. (John 6:22-42) Now, this was NOT well received by many of the folks who heard it, and they did NOT understand how Christ could insist that folks would have to consume him to be saved. Then we read: "But Jesus replied, 'Stop complaining about what I said. For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.) I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. Yes, I am the bread of life! Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.' Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?' they asked. So Jesus said again, 'I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever." (John 6:43-58, NLT)
Clearly, God wants EVERYONE to be saved, and he has "called" or invited EVERYONE to come to Christ in order to have access to him! Indeed, most Christians understand that Jesus was explaining to his followers that salvation is found through his broken body and spilled blood, and that he was speaking about the Eucharist which his followers would be required to participate in for the rest of their physical lifetime on this planet. In reality, NOTHING in this passage suggests or supports a claim of exclusivity of understanding!
Moreover, I believe that part of Herbert's blind spot where this teaching is concerned can be attributed to his rejection of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. "Why do you say that?" Because Scripture reveals that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit ALL have important roles to play in our ability to understand God and his plans for us! We've already seen the role of the Father and the Son. Next, we will look at the role assigned to the Holy Spirit.
Again, in the Gospel of John, we are informed that Judas asked Christ about how he would reveal himself to them, and not to the world as a whole. Christ replied: "All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you." (John 14:23-26, NLT) A little later, in the same account, Jesus went on to say: "But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry." (John 15:26-27, NLT)
Paul wrote to the saints at Corinth that ordinary humans do not understand what God has in store for them. He continued: "But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us." (I Corinthians 2:10-12, NLT) Thus, according to Scripture, we can see that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit ALL THREE have significant roles to play in the revelation of God's will and plans to our minds!
Moreover, the passages which we have explored together make plain that the goal of the Godhead is spiritual understanding for ALL. However, even for Christians, this is NOT a "one and done" kind of phenomenon! It is NOT accomplished over the course of a few months in a public library or by reading a series of booklets. The PLAIN TRUTH is that even Christians are expected to grow in grace and knowledge. (Ephesians 4:11-13 and II Peter 3:18) Currently, we (Christians) see through a glass darkly. (I Corinthians 13:9-12) In short, we must NOT forget that the earth being filled with the knowledge of the Lord is a PROPHECY about the future (Habakkuk 2:14), it is NOT the present reality for ANYONE (including Christians). THIS is the truth about "the truth."
