Chapter Two – What Did Mr. Armstrong Teach?
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Beginning this chapter, the next several demonstrate that many of the principles Mr. Armstrong taught are strengthened by the fact that he repeated them often, and in different ways. He understood that repetition underscores and ingrains important knowledge, and at the same time reduces misunderstanding.
The next four chapters cover a series of central questions. Each of the first five, answered in the next two chapters, are addressed by quotes from Mr. Armstrong. The sixth question, the subject of Chapters Four and Five, follows by taking another look at what is the gospel and what is the Work as he taught it—and contrasts it to big changes occurring in the splinters. Read and internalize Mr. Armstrong’s words and meaning.
1. Did Mr. Armstrong believe the Work was to be done exclusively by him and would end at his death?
It is amazing the numbers who now believe that Mr. Armstrong thought preaching the kingdom of God was to end when his life was over. Many of these find ingenious ways to put such words on his lips. Three particular statements are usually cited as confirmation—either from MYSTERY OF THE AGES, The Incredible Human Potential or the March 19, 1981 Worldwide News—by those trying to prove this is what he believed—or supposedly came to believe near the end of his life. The book must address this thinking early on.
People determined to focus only on themselves assert that Mr. Armstrong instructed his successor to concentrate exclusively on “preparing the Bride for the Wedding Supper.” Near the end of his life, Mr. Armstrong certainly did put important emphasis on this task. And let it be understood here that most people, including whole organizations, have largely ignored this vital instruction.
It is true that the splinters attempting to continue the Work do not really grasp the importance of properlyfeeding the flock. It is as though several of them believe that doing the “Work” is basically their onlycommission. Seeing this, some people react to this unbalanced emphasis and, true to human nature, taking a view that is equally unbalanced, jump to the other ditch, believing the Church’s commission to be over or of relatively minimal importance today. They seem to conclude that—at least if it continues in the manner these splinters focus on it—the flock is not going to be fed correctly nor will the bride be fully readied for her Wedding. Sadly, people in both of these opposing ditches smugly decide the other approach is wrong—and seem unwilling to recognize both forms of thinking are terribly harmful, just in different ways!
The need to accuse trumps right understanding on both sides.
An Illustration
A letter I received from a local church elder aptly demonstrates the assumption that those continuing the Work must automatically be neglecting the Church—meaning not properly feeding the flock. Notice that the writer seems incapable of understanding how I could possibly be “preparing the Church” and “getting oneself ready” ifI continue to do the Work. He wrote, “You said in your reply, not doing a Work is an easy path to take, but as I see it, preparing the church, getting oneself ready is a much, much harder task than falling back into doing the Work and not moving any farther than we were in ‘86…” (emphasis mine).
The writer actually believes that presenting the good news of the kingdom of God or warning great nations facing disaster is falling backward. This alone is astonishing! He has convinced himself that abandoning the Work was “moving…farther than…‘86 [when Mr. Armstrong died].” This absurd statement elevates a complete focus on SELF as going beyond the enormous Work, ministry and purpose of what Mr. Armstrong accomplished!
Having the gall to then attribute this kind of outrageous thinking to his teacher makes it even more appalling. I marvel that Mr. Armstrong’s students could have fallen so far from the understanding that he gave them. Bear in mind that the writer was an elder for many years during Mr. Armstrong’s lifetime. It should be embarrassing to such people in their shameful pretension of following and respecting the teachings of this great servant! They apparently never understood either him or the mind of God. God help these to repent of rebellion, stubbornness, pride, selfishness, laziness and BLINDNESS before it is too late!
So, one ditch is characterized as preaching the (a) gospel above all else, while at the same time ignoring both correct doctrine and the proper feeding of the flock. The other is best summarized as claiming to hold to all true doctrine, while rejecting one of the greatest doctrines that Mr. Armstrong taught—I repeat, taking the true gospel to the world and fulfilling the special Ezekiel Warning to the nations of Israel. Invariably, over time, these latter groups also drifted into other false doctrines, as Mr. Armstrong warned, so their claims ring hollow.
The fact that some organizations have neglected to correctly feed the flock and prepare the bride could never be a reason to ignore continuing the Work of God. Because some no longer tithe, should God’s people conclude theSabbath is done away? Because some think believers can marry outside the Church, should others eat unclean meat?
There is no difference in the illogic.
Only One Purpose
We have seen that the only Work or business God has ever had His servants perform is either announcing His kingdom or bringing a special warning to an individual, a city or a nation. The following quotes emphatically demonstrate that Mr. Armstrong continually taught this! If some will not believe me, will they believe him? Read his own words written at the end of his life proving he believed continuing to have one’s heart in the Work was the single greatest key to keeping on track and to preparing for the Wedding Supper! ( All emphasis is his):
“I am now in my 94th year. God may grant that I continue in this very limited manner to direct the work for some time, but the occasional heart pains that I have endured have made me feel the necessity of letting our coworkers know of the condition as it is.
“Remember, this is the work of the living Creator God.
“I thank God that He has organized this present work of his so thoroughly that regardless of the outcome of my present illness, the work will continue right on to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ…Christ is the Living Head of this work, and He will continue guiding those He has chosen right up to his Second Coming, which grows daily nearer at hand.”
Letter to brethren, Dec. 23, 1985
“This is my first letter to you in 1986, and could very well be my last. It may be that the Work God has given meto do is complete, but not the Work of God’s Church, which will be faithfully doing God’s Work till Christ, the True Head of this Church, returns.
“Remember, brethren, this is not the work of Herbert W. Armstrong…or any man. It is the Work of the Living Creator, God…The greatest work lies yet ahead.”
Last Co-Worker Letter, Jan. 10, 1986
The last phrase above will take on much greater meaning in later chapters! In fact this single short reference will come to be seen as the defining description of the Church at the end.
“Brethren, if we are to continue to grow—and to grow SPIRITUALLY as well as in numbers—we must remember that the PURPOSE of the Church is, first, to GO INTO ALL THE WORLD and preach Christ’s GOSPEL. The FIRSTcommission to the Church is just that. Anyone who looks on that Great commission of Christ as ‘Armstrong’s private work’ is just not a member of GOD’S Church. Anyone who does not have his whole heart in that work IS NOT A MEMBER OF GOD’S TRUE CHURCH, and has no right whatsoever to attend or fellowship in any of its local congregations.”
“Why Local Assemblies?”, GN, March 1954
The last statement is most instructive! Mr. Armstrong felt very, very strongly about those whose heart was not in preaching the gospel. He offered no apology for stating they should not even be permitted to “attend or fellowship” with God’s people. Carefully reflect on this for its application today! The above quotes span nearly 32 years—including to the end of Mr. Armstrong’s life. Do you really believe that these statements (with the next two) reflect a diminishing of importance from what he placed throughout his ministry on continuing the Work? Absolutely not. Now continue:
“The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the message that Christ proclaimed. That message was the Good News or the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. That is the message He preached, the restoration of the Government of God by the coming Kingdom of God.
“The apostolic Church from A.D. 31 proclaimed it.
“Today we carry on God’s Work in a world multiplied vastly larger in population, a mechanized, mechanical, complex world with instrumentalities to work with that were never dreamed of in the first century.
“If anything happened to me I would expect the Church to continue right on and the local churches and the local church ministry.”
“Congress of Leading Ministers,” WN, March 6, 1981
“We CANNOT AFFORD TO BECOME LUKEWARM! We cannot afford to let our minds drift from the intense NEED for this very special mission of this particular time in world history, so shortly before Christ’s coming and HIS KINGDOM! [Author’s note: Yet, this has become so descriptive of most of God’s people today.]
“Now about the Work itself.
“Few understand just what IS the Church. There are so many churches in the world. People just take churches for granted. But more than 1,953 years ago, Jesus Christ said, ‘I will build My Church.’ Few know WHY He built it—for what PURPOSE. The purpose, primarily, was dual:
1) to proclaim to the world the Gospel Message God sent to mankind by Jesus as God’s Messenger (Mal. 3:1) of the coming Kingdom of God,
2) to call and prepare a chosen people…
“I have NEVER SAID I expect to live until Christ comes.”
Co-Worker Letter, March 19, 1981
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