Herbert W Armstrong

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 that exist today insist on a Wednesday crucifixion. The view often imagines a kind of conspiracy by those who hold to a Friday crucifixion, as though the traditional understanding were not only mistaken but deliberately deceptive. A Wednesday crucifixion is also held by some outside Armstrongism. It is not a commonly accepted view, but it is worth examining. Personally, I do not regard it as a matter of special importance; however, because the claim is made so forcefully - and because it accuses the Friday view of intentional error - it deserves careful comment. Central to the Wednesday theory is the counting method derived from Matthew 12:40, where Jesus refers to Jonah being “ three days and three nights in the whale’s belly .” Advocates insist this must mean a literal seventy‑two hours from crucifixion to resurrection. Matthew 12:40 is therefore the pivotal text for the Wednesday position, and in this study I will examin...

Herbert Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God promoted the idea that the cross is pagan.  I note that the Jehovah Witnesses have the same belief - they insist Jesus dies on a stake rather than a cross, and allege the cross is of pagan origin.   I would not at all be surprised if Armstrong took his idea from the Witnesses, he was after all a great copyist. Perhaps many in the Millerite movement held such belief.  The purpose of this pagan theory is, I believe, to denigrate and unsettle believers whilst promoting other pagan theories such as those concerning Christmas, Easter and Sunday worship.  I investigate whether these claims are true, and conclude they have no substance.  Please follow the link to my post in Quora.  See here.

I compare Armstrong’s teachings with Scripture and with mainstream Christianity in key areas such as the gospel, the new birth, and the Kingdom of God. Within this document you’ll find a number of links for further reading. See my post in Quora that sets out all the details.