Herbert W Armstrong

The biblical concept of a prophet is more functional rather than institutional, referring fundamentally to one who claims to speak on God's behalf. This observation carries into Jesus' warnings concerning false prophets.  Jesus says that " many false prophets will arise " (Matt. 24:11, 24). He does not describe a formally appointed class of prophets, but rather individuals who come onto the affairs of the world and claim spiritual authority, influence others, and lead them astray. The motives of such individuals may vary considerably. Some appear to have been sincere but mistaken. William Miller, for example, is generally regarded as an honest man whose predictions failed and who later expressed regret for the consequences. Herbert Armstrong published prophetic interpretations for fifty years and when those expectations failed to materialize, he did not respond in a manner like William Miller. Instead, he justified their  postponement and then at a later time the argu...

Tithing in the Old Testament is an interesting study. What becomes immediately clear is that it never applied to wages, trade income, craftsmanship, fishing, commercial profit, or any other form of monetary earnings. Money certainly existed, and the monetary economy was substantial - merchants, traders, craftsmen, builders, fishermen, and labourers, including agricultural labourers and many others too numerous to list, formed a significant and essential part of Israel’s society - yet none of these were ever tithed. Towns, fortified cities, royal centres, and trade hubs had significant numbers of non‑agricultural workers. Even rural villages had essential trades (smiths, carpenters, potters, weavers, builders, transport workers, fishermen, merchants). The Bible itself depicts frequent monetary transactions, which presuppose a functioning monetary economy. The biblical tithe was restricted solely to agricultural increase and herds and flocks from the land of Israel, as laid out in Leviti...

The United Church of God, headquartered in the USA, teaches that the Holy Spirit is an impersonal force rather than a divine Person - a belief inherited from the Armstrong parent church. Their website lists several reasons for this claim. The question is whether any of these reasons make biblical sense. In the document linked below, I examine each of their arguments to determine whether they have any scriptural warrant. In reading their material, one is struck by the insistence that the Holy Spirit must be an “it”- a non‑person, an impersonal force rather than a divine agent. The claim is repeated with such confidence that one might initially assume it rests on solid biblical foundations. In reality, closer inspection shows that it rests on selective readings and misunderstandings of Paul’s literary conventions, particularly his greeting formula, along with other arguments discussed below. Readers may consider the evidence and decide for themselves whether UCG claims have any merit. A ...

Herbert W. Armstrong taught that the Worldwide Church of God was the sole continuation of the apostolic church, uniquely preserved while all other Christian bodies fell into early apostasy. He claimed that God raised him up to restore truths lost for nearly two millennia, including Sabbath‑keeping, Old Testament Holy Days, hierarchical church government, and his distinctive prophetic system. Armstrong also asserted that the early church possessed a correct understanding of Israel’s identity—an understanding he believed had been lost and recovered through his ministry. A central part of his narrative was the idea of a continuous remnant of Sabbath‑keepers stretching from the apostles through various medieval dissenting groups and finally into the Church of God (Seventh Day), culminating in his own organisation I show in the linked Post in Quora just how inadequate these claims really are.  See here.    It is titled:  Herbert W. Armstrong said in his booklet ''A True H...