Herbert W Armstrong

  Revelation chapter 22 verse 14 reads: [ Rev 22:14 KJV] 14 Blessed [are] they that  do his commandments , that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. I have observed how certain denominations particularly those who demand sabbath observance -as this they say is the sign of a true believer - choose to interpret the verse in question.   Indeed, one reads in their literature statements such as :  ‘ I t is only those who are willing to DO the Ten Commandments who shall enter in thru the gates into the City ’. Revelation 22:14 thereby becomes one of the most mis‑used verses by groups that teach salvation-by-law, especially Sabbatarian groups. The boast be made this identifies the one true church. In this Post in Quora I examine just what commandments/commands be the subject of this verse in Revelation 22. 

Does Matthew chapter 12 concerning Jesus’s resurrection and the “sign” of Jonah have to mean exactly 72 hours? Please note in a separate Post I have addressed the Wednesday crucifixion theory. This Armstrong doctrine is used to criticize the 'world's churches' for celebrating the Friday crucifixion.  I found there are no strong grounds for Wednesday and set out the reasons.  This particular blog focusses on Matthew 12,   ‘’ For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” These words are the basis of a theory which holds that Jesus was crucified on a Wednesday, and resurrected exactly 72 hours later on the sabbath towards sunset. Whether it was a historical fact that Jonah did spend exactly seventy two hours inside a large fish we of course do not know. Jesus referred to this event, but He does not state explicitly that His citation affirms the historical c...

Some interesting similarities are worthy of note.  Armstrong claimed he was an ‘ apostle ’ and special messenger - appointed to warn so called ‘Israel’ (USA/UK/other Anglo countries) and the world of end times and disasters - that his Radio/Worldwide Church of God was the ‘one true church’. He said only he taught the true gospel (only to be expected given the claim to be the only one true church) - whilst all others were said to be deceived by Satan and teaching false gospels. Armstrong said he ran things by God’s way of Government - which he said was God the Father, then Jesus, then Armstrong himself in number three.. Rutherford did not use a title of ‘’apostle”’ but it was effectively the same because he taught that Christ had inspected all religions in 1918, chose the Watch Tower Society in 1919, and that the President of the Society was the one through whom Christ directed the ‘work’.  In this sense Rutherford was like Armstrong concerning teachings on God's government. Wh...

Herbert W Armstrong - Gospel preached. Armstrong claimed with much fan fare that only he preached the true gospel. Armstrong set out his gospel doctrine in many publications - booklets such as “ What is the true gospel ”; magazine articles; and radio and television broadcasts. This is all publicly available and the message was the same throughout his 52 year preaching career.   For example the  Plain Truth magazine  1979; and chapter 6 of a book titled ‘ A Voice Cries Out Amongst Religious Confusion’  - shown in this link;  ‘What & Why the Gospel’ ; In a publication titled: ‘ A true history of the true church’  Armstrong   said  his Radio - then later Worldwide Church of God  was the “ one true church” linked all the way back to the original apostles.  (The identifying sign for such claim said to be 'sabbath keeping', along with an alleged obedience of the rest of the ten  commandments).  He claimed, on many occasions,...

This book is one of the greatest ever written. All I can hope is bring out, in this post, teachings that stand out to me. It helps to express them in writing so as to come back to it now and again to re-evaluate. Please click here to go to my Post in Quora wherein I seek to understand its purpose and how it informs of the Gospel messag e.  I also seek to understand particular verses that some use to almost undo the very purpose of the book itself.   Edit: Why do I make the label Herbert Armstrong apply in this Post. My answer is that he was one of those who select certain verses from Romans and use them to undo the very message it contains. I explain these verses in some detail in context of the whole book of Romans. 

Armstrong, his Worldwide Church of God, and the many offshoots in existence today, insist on a Wednesday crucifixion. The view seems to imagine a big conspiracy as being afoot by those who think Jesus was crucified on a Friday.  A Wednesday crucifixion idea is also held by others. It does not appear to be a commonly held belief, nevertheless it’s worthy of study. It is important to address the counting method associated with this Wednesday theory which requires there be a third night, based on Matthew chapter 12 verse 40 regarding Jonah being ‘’.. three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth’’. This is worked out to be 72 hours precisely from the crucifixion to the resurrection. The verse 40 in Matthew 12 is pivotal to this Wednesday view , and I will examine whether its counting method is supported by the scriptures, and by custom.  All of the other verses concerning the timing of the cruci...