The Bible, above all else, is a book about government. While I learned this from Mr. Armstrong, almost 40 years of studying God’s Word has confirmed it to be true. Consider just these things: Lucifer’s rebellion against God’s government, Adam doing the same, how God governed ancient Israel (Moses, Joshua, the judges, kings and prophets, etc.), Korah’s rebellion, Saul’s rebellion, the special scepter (government) promise to the House of David, how Christ qualified to replace Satan, the government of God in the Church, why the governments of this world do not and have never worked, and the coming of God’s world-ruling supergovernment, administered by Christ and the saints, to replace men’s governments and bring peace, happiness, abundance and prosperity to all nations—and more—make this subject central to the Bible!
The gospel of the kingdom of God is a message entirely about government—the one just described—under the ruling Family of God. And this subject is the absolute bedrock centerpiece of the entire Bible. This is why government was the constant theme of Mr. Armstrong’s writing, referenced and described, in one way or the other, in almost every one of his books and booklets. Believe me, having now completed the task of rewriting them all, I know! I now comprehend, in a way that I must admit I never fully understood before, why Mr. Armstrong taught, “Government is everything.” You can probably remember his words, stated more than once in this exact way. We will read his statements in a moment.
There is a great reason why he felt this way, beginning in the winter of 1952-53, when God first revealed this enormous truth to him. Mr. Armstrong, with the Radio Church of God, then 19 years old, and beginning to grow much faster, began to take the gospel beyond North America to the world in January 1953. It was no accident that God revealed this particular truth at that time! God knew, and Mr. Armstrong understood in retrospect, that an enormous Work, girdling the globe and reaching all nations, must have the right form of government in place to achieve the immense size that it would eventually reach. An enormous prophecy had to be fulfilled. Had the Church been forced to suffer the infighting, competition and disagreement occurring in Sardis—because of their clumsy, inefficient and unscriptural manner of government, which also so badly divided their effort—the Work, under Mr. Armstrong, would have been slowed to a crawl and permanently limited to no more than a fraction of what it became.
Here are just two such quotes from Mr. Armstrong, introducing the entirety of this chapter, and the extreme importance of understanding the subject of how God governs His Church. All who read just the first statement will never doubt again how strongly Mr. Armstrong felt about—and how comprehensively he saw—government. It was delivered in one of his final sermons, and it almost appears that God intended he say this at the end of his life as a special testimony to the Church of the crucial importance of the one thing the Church must never forget. Having listened to this portion again, I only wish I could transmit the power and intensity with which this then almost 93-year-old man delivered these words. The upcoming book to which he referred was MYSTERY OF THE AGES. The second quote amplifies the first:
“But when I was challenged, before I learned about the Holy Days or anything, I was challenged on the point of God’s law and of God’s government! The whole thing was government. The thing that Satan took away was government. The thing that Christ is coming to restore is government. And what He raised me up for was to restore government in His Church! And the whole test of the challenge in the first place after God had softened me by other things that will be recorded in this book was the point of government.”
Rely on God, April 6, 1985, Sermon
“And this is Peter talking to them at that time. Verse 19 the third chapter of Acts. Peter said, ‘Repent you therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send (the time when He shall send) Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven(s) must receive (now He’d ascended up to heaven and the heavens would receive Him until a certain time) until the times of restitution of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.’
“Now restitution. Look that word up in the dictionary. Restitution means restoring to a former condition, a former state or condition. Restoring what had been taken away. Restoring what had been taken away [said twice]. So now I ask you, what is Christ coming to restore that had been taken away? What had been taken away was the government of God. The government of God! And if you know the whole Bible, that’s the whole story of the Bible. That’s the whole purpose—everything.”
The Mission of the Philadelphia Era of the Church,
Dec. 17, 1983, Sermon
Savor what you have just read in these two short statements. They contain a theme that literally impelled Mr. Armstrong’s entire life, ministry and thinking. He knew that God sent him to the nations of the world and its leaders with the constant message—the “announcement” as he put it—of God’s coming world-ruling government under the God Family in his mind and speaking.
Receiving False Prophets
One of Christ’s final instructions to the Church was to warn that just prior to His Return, false prophets and false christs would appear—and would seduce many into following them. Jesus simply said, regardless of what any false prophet says, “Believe it not.” These warnings have produced an incredible irony for the last era of God’s people. Let’s begin to examine it, and its ultimate connection to government—and to government in His Church. This next section helps to set up all of the remainder of the chapter.
The parallel chapters of Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, called the Olivet Prophecy, contain several powerful warnings. Three times, in Matthew 24, Christ warns of those who would come and “deceive many.” Notice: “For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (vs. 5). None can doubt that this has happened—both in the world and the Church. For 2,000 years, many have come “in [Christ’s] name,” which means by His authority—and many have been deceived.
Verse 11 is more specific, warning again of “many” being deceived, this time by “false prophets.” Jesus is speaking to the Church! How do we know? Verses 12-13 speak directly to the Church because it is only there where people may not endure to the end. Only in the Church could lawlessness (“iniquity”) abound in such a way as to cause godly love to grow cold. Do not miss this point. False prophets were foretold to deceive the Church at the end!
Remember, the world has always been deceived (Rev. 12:9)!
Now for Christ’s strongest warning: “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, He is in the desert; go not forth: behold, He is in the secret chambers; believe it not” (24:23-26).
Several points emerge. First, Christ warns His disciples that they could be deceived. Notice His repeated use of “you.” However, since the disciples did not live in the end time, but WE do, the warning must be for US today (24:3)!
Do not miss this emphasis.
Deception at the end is so great that the potential exists for God’s people to follow not only false prophets, but also false christs! Jesus is warning that the subtlety and sheer deception necessary for such false prophets or false christs to succeed—and more and more are—must be staggering! Yet, some today, in PCG, having been told that this cannot happen to the “very elect” (vs. 24), in effect, brush off this greatest of all warnings as not a warning to them at all.
This in itself is one of the most incredible deceptions I have ever heard!
Again, when faced with those saying Christ is “here or there,” Jesus said, “Believe it not” (Matt. 24:26). Yet, many in the splinters almost seem to eagerly believe false prophets and false christs, instead of the true Christ. As explained earlier, it has been my experience that people generally start by assuming other people are deceived or in danger of it. Christ warned that deception will get worse (vs. 24), and that some false prophets and false christs will even perform miracles. These will also deceive many, including brethren, because so many now blindly receive those whom Christ has NOT SENT. Ignoring the crucial importance of fruits, large numbers do not bother to examine—to see—if one is chosen of God, but rather only if a man says that he is! And I am not an exception. A leader must be able to stand up to the scrutiny of God’s qualifications—exhibiting the right fruits—but, in a sense, this becomes unnecessary if attendees are giving their leaders “a free pass.”
Astonishingly, two or three splinter leaders, who have professed themselves to be prophets, have duped thousands of people who completely ignored—or forgot—Christ’s warning! They thought His warnings were for “someone else.”
Christ warned that all this would occur. Does it concern you? It should. He warned the Church about who not to receive! The result? More than 110,000 people (75 percent) left the truth! Most of the remaining 25 percent have bought into some false doctrines. Following the pattern of 2,000 years of Church history, this happened because people were only too willing to happily receive those God had not sent.
Keep the following basic principle in mind: There has never been an important warning—not one!—that Christ has given His Church that has not, at times, been ignored!
Let’s continue with what is a colossal irony.
Truth Only Through Apostles
Many brethren, including all splinter leaders, have chosen to knowingly reject certain doctrines that the Church once believed. However, by now, it should be clear that most of God’s people have simply forgotten certain other doctrines once known to the entire Church.
Most brethren will recall how Mr. Armstrong would repeat, for emphasis, the most important teachings—those that the Church must never forget or confuse. Despite this, some of even the most central doctrines he taught have been rejected or—again—forgotten! Few are more important than the basic biblical understanding that Christ puts truth into His Church through apostles—and only through apostles!
Before continuing, let’s examine just four statements from Mr. Armstrong. As you read them, see if the strength and clarity of his words do not revive memories of how we all once knew this. Notice at the beginning of the first quote, in regard to whom God sends, how Mr. Armstrong explains the definition of an apostle:
“The word apostle means ‘one sent forth.’
“The New Testament Church of God received all its teachings, practices, customs, from the apostles, with Peter chief over all the others.
“Yet the apostles were the teachers, who instilled in the Church the beliefs, teachings, practices and customs of the Church. And all members of the Church were required by God to believe and speak the same thing!
“there was no doctrinal board! The teachings of the Church did not come from a council of ministers and/or lay members, who voted on what to believe.
“Right here, mark well this point: god put his truth into his church through christ and through the apostles!
“note this! The Church of God is built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets…
“I have shown you…that Peter was leader of the apostles—and that the Church received its teachings and doctrines from the apostles!
“So now let it be made official—by Christ’s present-day apostle—that this binding and loosing plainly, clearly was given to Christ’s chief apostle—not to lower-rank ministers ordained by his authority—not by the church as a body—but by the apostle!
“Jesus Christ is the living head of this Church! He built it through His apostle. And He, Christ, still rules supreme in the one and only area on earth where the government of God is being administered today!”
“How Christ Gives the Church its Beliefs”
GN, Nov. 20, 1978
“God says we in His Church must all believe and speak the same thing—we must be agreed on what is truth and right and good as opposed to what is evil and sin.
“But HOW? How does Jesus Christ put his doctrines into His Church? How did He in A.D. 31? How in A.D. 1933?
“Only by His chosen apostles.
“Our teaching and doctrines must come from god! Through christ! And through His apostle!
“God has always, in dealing with humans, worked through one man at a time—one who believed God! Some in ancient Israel challenged this one-man leadership. Some, likewise, have challenged it today!
“First, Moses’ own brother and sister challenged his one-man leadership…‘And the anger of the Eternal was kindled against them’ [Num. 12:9].
“Yet, though our members and ministers all know this, some are not afraid to speak contemptuously, in hostility, or defamingly against Christ’s apostle today! They need not fear ME! For I will not turn on them or strike them.
“Why, then, do they not fear God? It must be one of two things. Either they do not really comprehend this teaching…or they do not believe that God has chosen me as His apostle and human leader today.
“The church is GOD’S Church. The head of the Church, under god, is Jesus Christ. Under Christ, on the human level, is His chosen apostle, through whom He has raised up and built this spiritual TEMPLE to which the reigning christ shall soon come in glory (Eph. 2:20-21).
“All doctrines in the Church as it began, A.D. 31, were put in by the apostles. All doctrines in the present Philadelphia era were put into the Church by Jesus Christ through His chosen apostle.”
“And Now Christ Sets Church Back on Track Doctrinally!”,
WN, Feb. 19, 1979
“Church teachings were being changed. The most resultful booklet of all, The United States and British Commonwealth in Prophecy, was attacked…the same with a number of other basic and important booklets written by Christ’s apostle.
“How does God’s Church receive its doctrines, beliefs and teachings? Direct from God, through the channels of Jesus Christ as head of the Church, and from Him through the apostles! never by any others! never by a group of ministers appointing themselves as a Doctrinal Committee! So it was in the first century.
“How did the Worldwide Church of God receive its doctrines, beliefs and teachings? Exclusively through Christ’s apostle!
“But every doctrine, belief and teaching in the Worldwide Church of God has come from christ through his chosen apostle!”
“What Is a Liberal?”, WN, Feb. 19, 1979
“The living Jesus Christ founded the one true Church of God, A.D. 31. The same living Jesus Christ started the Philadelphia era of God’s Church through me, as His chosen apostle, August 1933.
“God commands in His word that we all ‘speak the same thing.’ That ‘same thing’ He put into His Church through His apostle.”
“Watering Down—Or Slowly Building Solidly Up?”,
WN, June 11, 1979
Numerous other statements, some extensive and equally strong, could also have been included. But these four should be sufficient for all those who wish to know the truth about—and who are determined to return and adhere to—what Mr. Armstrong taught regarding how all true doctrine enters the Church. Before continuing, reflect for a moment on whether you still believe this.
Worshipping Mr. Armstrong or Faith in God Based on Proof?
Those who refuse to make exceptions in holding to the doctrines the Church once believed, and believed came only through apostles, are often accused of “worshipping Mr. Armstrong.” I referenced this in the introduction and again later. Apart from the point to be made in a moment, this is another irony.
Consider. When almost 150,000 people held to what Mr. Armstrong taught, while he was alive, no one suggested that we were “worshipping him.” Why do some say this now? What changed?
Many brethren have long striven to follow the teachings of other apostles (Peter, Paul, John, James, Matthew, Jude) and no one has ever suggested they were worshipping any of them. Why is Mr. Armstrong singled out for special attention in this way?
Consider this. Like all apostles before him, Mr. Armstrong died. Those who practice balanced obedience to the instructions of other deceased apostles are not said to be enshrining or worshipping them. This should include Mr. Armstrong. Truly, he is an apostle “without honor from those of his own time” (Mark 6:4)—to those who think merely following him (I Cor. 11:1) has become worshipping him, now that he is gone.
Mr. Armstrong plainly taught that true doctrine could only enter the Church through the highest New Testament office. This, in itself, was a strongly held doctrine. Most knew not to challenge the solid proof Mr. Armstrong offered. But how many internalized that proof? Rejecting this colossal understanding is actually its own false doctrine. Think again! People must first reject this doctrine to be in a position to reject other doctrines. Recognize that this is the only way to accept any new teachings from non-apostles. I repeat—there is no other way to move away from previous beliefs.
Adhering to just this truth protects against loss of any others!
Many now lack the faith to fully believe that God guided Mr. Armstrong to the degree, and in the extraordinary way, that the whole Church once believed. But they would not doubt this if they had proven what he had taught—and this includes that Christ only teaches truth to His Church through apostles.
Think! This is almost certainly one of the reasons that Christ asked, “When the Son of man comes, shall He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). Of course, this question references the period just prior to His Return. The only people who could possibly be candidates for either having or losing faith would be those in His Church. He knew the world was not in the equation. Jesus obviously understood that conditions in the last days would cause large numbers to lose faith in how He had successfully guided and blessed His Church for so long—and how He led it into the truth. How short is the human memory!
When Mr. Armstrong told the Church repeatedly that the all-powerful, living Christ was guiding him—that what was being accomplished in the Worldwide Church of God was not the product of a human being—most saw all that was taking place, and believed he was right, some having proved it. Mr. Armstrong died, time passed and faith waned. Now, many are no longer even sure that he was an apostle or, if he was, they are unsure what this meant to the Church.
Receiving Those God Sends
We return to the subject of false prophets and false christs. There is an opposite side to Christ’s warning to not receive such men. There are, of course, those God HAS sent—those who should be received. Many have forgotten this all-important distinction, having first forgotten that God would not send someone without ensuring we could know that he came from God. Remember, the word apostle means “one sent forth”—from God! If God sends a man, He would obviously want it known to His other servants so that they can support that man.
Just before His crucifixion, Christ told His disciples, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receives whomsoever I send receives Me; and he that receives Me receives Him [the Father] that sent Me” (John 13:20).
This represents a supremely important test for all of God’s servants in every age. To receive those whom God sends is to receive both Christ and the Father. Conversely—and obviously—to reject or ignore those Christ has sent is to reject or ignore Christ and the Father!
A longer passage amplifies this point, making absolutely crystal clear just how important this principle is to God. It is found in Matthew 10:40-42. We will examine it one verse at a time: “He that receives you receives Me, and he that receives Me receives Him that sent Me” (vs. 40). This portion of the passage is almost identical to John 13:20.
But it does not end here. The next verse reveals there is more at stake than meets the eye—more than just obeying Christ’s instruction to receive servants that He has authorized or sent: “He that receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward” (vs. 41).
There is, quite literally, something in it for you and me—if we discern whom God has sent from whom He has not. A very real—and eternal—reward is at stake. Notice the next verse: “And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward” (vs. 42).
Ponder this. Just giving a simple drink of water, in the name of a disciple, brings an absolutely certain reward from God. Here is why. Whatever we do for God’s true servants—even those holding the most elementary “office,” if you will, of “little one”—Christ considers having been done directly to Him. Notice: “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, you have done it unto ME” (Matt. 25:40).
This last passage introduces the need to always receive the true brethren of Christ. Of course, unlike apostles, prophets, evangelists, etc., this is much harder, and sometimes impossible, to discern. In fact, that is the whole point of this extensive passage in Matthew 25. People might not always discern that they were receiving one of Jesus’ “brethren”—His “little ones.” But Jesus takes note of brethren’s conduct toward even “the least” of His sheep.
What is the point? Just this: How important is it to God, then, that we fulfill the command to receive an apostle when God has sent him? Since an apostle is “one sent forth” from God, woe unto those who ignore John 13:20, Matthew 10:40-42 and Matthew 25:40! Soon, with Mr. Armstrong, this will be seen to carry an even greater connotation.
I cannot stress enough how serious this is to Christ, who attaches your willingness to receive one He has sent to whether or not you would receive Himself and the Father. Do not kid yourself that anything less than this is at stake! Grasp this. A very specific reward is assured to anyone who understands that he is merely giving a drink of water to a disciple in the name of a disciple. What then of an apostle?
Of course, some do not care what God says about this matter. They seem to receive those whom they wish and reject those whom they wish without consideration for what God instructs—or for whether God has sent a man.
“Though one rose from the dead”
Actually, this is one of the main points in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, which reveals the extent to which some people’s thinking becomes entrenched, unwilling to reconsider a wrong position they have taken. At the end of this story, when the rich man realized that he had blown his salvation, he urged Abraham (obviously figuratively), then in the kingdom, to send Lazarus to warn his five brethren of what the rich man had rejected. Abraham responded, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them” (Luke 16:29).
The rich man, thinking that one resurrected from the dead would carry more weight, urged Abraham to reconsider (vs. 30).
Abraham’s response carries a thunderous warning to all those who reject—in whole or in part—the authority that God placed in His apostle Herbert W. Armstrong. Notice: “And he [Abraham] said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (vs. 31).
It is extremely hard to move people who have set their minds. Based on this parable, I recognize that this book, written by one whom most will see as speaking presumptuously, and certainly not sent by God, will likely not move a great number of brethren. (And it may only move a very few ministers, if any.) But, because Christ inspired it, it will move some. I hope you will reflect on what the rich man did not understand about the stubbornness of human nature—about how people can recognize what Moses and the prophets taught, but will not be moved to take personal action in their lives—even if one returned from the dead to exhort them!
Let’s now explore further the enormous irony I mentioned. How astonishing that people will receive false and compromised leaders, false prophets and false christs, directly contrary to Christ’s personal warning (to those in the end time) not to do this. Yet, when a truly great servant of God died, at the end of a phenomenal 52-year ministry that reached beyond 250 million people, the vast majority who knew this great leader have now largely rejected how God used him—in favor of the very people Christ warned us to reject! Astonishing!
How times have changed. There was once a time, not long ago, when over one-third of all the heads of state on Earth—kings, queens, presidents, prime ministers and chancellors—received Mr. Armstrong as “An Ambassador Without Portfolio.” He was given special honors, awards, gifts and treatment—by carnal world leaders, men who had no idea what the Church once understood his role to be. Now, scores of thousands—who once did understand—have rejected all or many of his doctrines, his policies, the traditions he taught, his character, and even, in many cases, that he was an apostle. They also reject his extraordinary, remarkable, truly historic fulfillment of prophecy!
All of this sets the stage to see the even greater need to receive one sent—who in this case was more than an apostle! What does this mean?
Leaders Unaware of Mr. Armstrong’s Role
Let’s continue with a very large step beyond the understanding that truth is revealed to the Church through apostles and how to recognize when one is sent. Actually, in addition to rejecting this understanding, people must, if they are to change doctrines—any doctrine—also reject the understanding that a final Moses (Mal. 4:4) has come.
Some background: Nearly all who left the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) unwittingly absorbed and carried, hidden in their “baggage,” false doctrines taught to them by the apostates.
It was a certain renowned “Dr.” in Pasadena who long believed and privately taught to any who would listen that the Two Witnesses would be the final Moses and Elijah. In fact, most today have no idea that Herman Hoeh, now deceased, believed this! During the apostasy, this man went on to accept an avalanche of other false doctrines. Although he never made it out of the WCG (but is said to have quietly led the underground “resistance” there until his death)—his false theory did! Certain ministerial “followers,” Harold Smith chief among them, still privately expound his “wisdom” from their homes in the splinters and slivers. In turn, these followers have trained their own disciples in his false counter-theory.
Ask: Would God use a largely apostate evangelist—no matter his long seniority, ordination dating to 1952—to reveal Mr. Armstrong’s role?
This counterfeit idea notwithstanding, the books of Malachi and Matthew foretold that a Moses figure would come, ahead of a final Elijah. Malachi 4 verses 4-6 read, “Remember you the law of Moses My servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” The Elijah figure is more familiar to most than is the end-time Moses. But, in the modern age, this prophecy has been fulfilled!
If Mr. Armstrong was the end-time Moses, then all the truths that he taught must be retained—held fast! The implications of his fulfillment are tremendous! (The sermon series examines them.)
Though some debate its meaning, most will not deny that God states of Philadelphians that they “hold fast” to the truth. But no one in the splinters understands the enormous Moses fulfillment—and teaching—and the implications that flow from this command.
However, many hundreds of God’s people do have a balanced approach to Mr. Armstrong’s role and its implications. These people do not ignore the obvious facts—the mountain of proof that is available about who he was. They neither follow a false prophet nor believe endless crazy prophetic ideas. They understand the Work is not over until the Tribulation. Those in this category also do not slander and attack confused brethren on this or any other matter. They do not reflect the unsound, unlearned, untrained, unbalanced, unteachable and ungovernable attitudes obvious in so many who profess to follow Mr. Armstrong—usually most evident in those who stayed in PCG for a long time.
Kissing His Tomb
Of course, most splinter leaders consciously or unconsciously assist in the deception of many brethren because they continually state, “We love Mr. Armstrong.” Get this. The WCG false leaders still assert that they “love Mr. Armstrong.” Like the Pharisees who hung flowers on the tombs of the prophets they had killed (Matt. 23:29), they regularly “kiss his tomb” for political impact. For that matter, the Pope and every modern television evangelist would surely say, if asked, that they too “love Mr. Armstrong.”
Not even the devil would attempt to deceive you by starting with the words “I hate Mr. Armstrong,” or even “I don’t like Mr. Armstrong.” Most splinter leaders often add, “He was a fine man,” or “He did a fine Work,” or “He was, or probably was, an apostle”—before they invariably go on to explain why he was “wrong” about something(s). They understand that their chance of swaying you (and their own organizations) into their wrong thinking and/or new doctrine is much better if they appear to respect and generally agree with Mr. Armstrong. Therefore, they subtly follow the classic practice of “damning him with faint praise.” Obviously, their tactics are working.
God’s enemies, and others who compromise His truth, always attack His greatest servants. But those at least within the “church” at large usually do it craftily, while asserting they are not—stating that they “respect what he accomplished.”
Every splinter leader wants to put his own signature on his group. These men do not want to appear “unable to grow.” They do want to be seen as men of vision—“able to grow.” They also never speak about how Mr. Armstrong taught that only apostles can bring doctrine into the Church. Think hard about this as you observe them! These men have not been willing to continue receiving Mr. Armstrong as sent from God as an apostle, possessing sole authority to convey truth to the Church.
The Great Unspoken Motivation
Consider the man or men whom you now follow. Keep your focus on doctrine––and on how God would pick the leader under whom He would gather His faithful flock.
Most leaders willingly—and conveniently—teach certain popular false doctrines to keep people attending with—and tithing to!—their organizations. They well understand the financial consequences of rejecting widely accepted errors, such as wearing makeup and doing away with third tithe. In this way, they allow “truth to be evil spoken of” and “make merchandise” (II Pet. 2:1-3) of God’s people to retain their tithes.
These leaders will answer for their actions! (I sincerely hope they are more blind and deceived than they appear.) But make no mistake—these men are committed to their positions. If any doubt this, try actively opposing them by warning affiliated brethren to abandon their heresies and to leave their organizations. All who do this will soon learn their fate! But ministers who do this will have God’s reward if they are not hirelings (John 10:11-13). But take note: Many verses reveal that more than just ministers have a responsibility in this way (Jms. 5:19-20; Gal. 6:1-2; Jude 22-23; Dan. 11:32-35; among others)!
Many thousands can no longer even distinguish those who have compromised and disqualified themselves, and worse, cannot distinguish those sent by Satan from great servants SENT BY GOD!
Read very carefully Hebrews 5:13-14, regarding mature Christians spiritually “discerning good and evil.” Then ask yourself what happened to so many who were once so sure of what they now cannot even recall, let alone discern.
“But I Saw Government Abused”
Before examining some statements about where—and to whom—Mr. Armstrong said that the government of God was re-established, it must be recognized that both the Moses fulfillment and the one true Church and Body of Christ doctrine are directly connected to this foundational teaching.
Sadly, many were victims of administrative abuse and injustice even when the WCG was on track. I certainly was. Wherever human beings are involved, there is always imperfection. Sometimes this imperfection means people get hurt. But if they are seeking God, and correctly focusing on developing His perfect character, their thinking remains clear and they recognize that even Christ “learned…by the things which He suffered” (Heb. 5:8)—and that loving God’s Law will overcome all offenses (Psa. 119:165).
They also recognize that they must remember God’s other instruction when this occurs: “For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully…if, when you do well, and suffer for it, you take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were you called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example…” (I Pet. 2:19-21).
Over time, most began to forget the importance of right government in the Church. Almost from the time Mr. Armstrong died, his successors in Pasadena put down and denigrated God’s government, making it into something that was harsh and terrible—unless they needed its authority to persecute those they could not compromise or control for wrong purposes. I tasted more than once the extreme harshness of their rebellion against what God intended His government to bring to the Church—and their deceit used to make their new way appear more “loving.”
Ministers (and I heard this often) were almost browbeaten into avoiding the use of government in even the most serious matters having to do with Church discipline locally. They were continually told that almost any use of government was “being a sheriff and not a shepherd.” This very phrase became a mindless cliché, repeated endlessly by people who had not a clue what God taught about the subject or what they themselves were talking about. Another phrase, “We should never run people’s lives” (this is true), virtually came to mean that God’s ministers should never—or only very rarely—correct His people or tell them that they were wrong about anything. Serious offenses were openly tolerated as members quickly learned how to “blow the whistle” on their “sheriff” pastors. After all, what could God’s worst enemies know about the blessings of a government that largely existed to protect the truth?
Certainly, the misuse of government repulsed a great many people. But, would you abandon Sabbath observance because certain people misuse and abuse the truth about this weekly blessing? I have seen people steal God’s tithes, but I have never used this as a license to ignore my responsibility to tithe correctly. If people misuse and abuse the biblical principles of proper childrearing, are all who witness this then licensed to be permissive parents? Should marriage be thrown out because half of all married people get divorced?
Since when does what other people do incorrectly dismiss our Christian responsibility to do those same things correctly?
Because we may be able to say, “I saw government abused,” does not mean there exists no further obligation to practice it as God intended. Be careful you do not blame God’s system for what Satan’s agents did—or still do. This is truly “throwing the baby out with the bath water”—and you are the one who will get hurt if you make the wrong distinction in your judgment. Carefully discern this. Do not blur the fact that men, not the system, were in error. Also be careful that you are not unconsciously saying that the system, which produced so much wonderful fruit—and brought you to God’s truth, Work and Church—was not of God!
Government Re-established Only in Philadelphia
Mr. Armstrong was not ambiguous about how the government of God was made plain to the Church during the Philadelphian age. He pulled no punches, as the following statements reveal. Read them most carefully:
“I did not know it as a young man, late teens, 20s and into my 30s, but God was guiding my life from birth…Jesus Christ, through His written Word, opened my mind to the prime basic truths He wanted me to have in starting me out as His servant…God’s time had come!…I did not seek these basic foundations of truth of my own volition! Jesus Christ revealed them…He was preparing one called and chosen by God, even against that one’s will, for an important service in restoring the law and government of God to earth—even in the comparatively small Worldwide Church of God. He was preparing one whom He conquered and brought to repentance and faith, for this great end-time commission!”
“The History…of the Worldwide Church of God,” GN, Apr. 1980
“Jesus QUALIFIED to restore God’s government—to set up the KINGDOM OF GOD, ruling over the earth, administering the GOVERNMENT OF GOD. Jesus’ Gospel Message was the GOOD NEWS that he would (at his second coming) RESTORE the government of God through the KINGDOM OF GOD. That was the true GOSPEL! That Gospel was suppressed within 22 years (Gal. 1:6-7), and was not proclaimed to the world until THIS CHURCH began proclaiming it—within the United States beginning 1934, and going worldwide beginning 1953—precisely a century of time cycles after it had been suppressed!
“Have WE, through this Work, RESTORED anything? Indeed we have! We have RESTORED the TRUE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST—through us JESUS CHRIST has already begun RESTORING the KNOWLEDGE of what had been taken away—the GOVERNMENT OF GOD. Through us the living Christ has been preparing for his SECOND COMING for the PURPOSE of RESTORING ALL THINGS!
“NONE OTHER has RESTORED the knowledge of the fact GOD’S GOVERNMENT was established on earth, and then DESTROYED and taken away by the Cherub Lucifer (Satan) and his demons.
“Jesus did NOT restore God’s government at his first coming. Instead, he proclaimed the GOOD NEWS (Gospel) of it. He was crucified for the SINS of the world, he overcame Satan, he qualified to establish and rule God’s Kingdom, THEN HE ASCENDED TO HEAVEN.”
Co-worker letter, Aug. 24, 1982
“The government of God has been restored to the Church, and the government of God has been placed in the Church. You read that in Ephesians 4 and I Corinthians 12. Christ is the head of the Church and under Christ in the administration of the government are an apostle or apostles, then evangelists, then pastors, then all are called elders, all ministers all the way up clear down to the lowest. So then there are teachers and elders both speaking elders and preaching elders, deacons and deaconesses. And the Church is restored in that form of government. The Sardis Church even didn’t have the right form of government.”
Sermon, Dec. 17, 1983
Remember. Philadelphians hold fast doctrinally to what they were taught, without exception. Since Mr. Armstrong taught (correctly) that “government is everything”—and that it was “placed” in the Church for those of Philadelphia—it should go without saying that wherever Philadelphians are gathered, one should expect to find the exact same form of government in place that Mr. Armstrong taught. It should be clear that if any other form was there, it would violate Christ’s description that Philadelphians hold fast “what they have.” Any doctrinal compromise becomes a disqualifier. How much more with so great a doctrine?
We have a tremendously important and thorough book that brings back the full understanding of God’s government in His Church. Titled The Government of God – Understanding Offices and Duties, it serves as a companion alongside THE TRUE CHURCH and “ANOINT YOUR EYES.” It covers the working details in a much greater way than possible here, including ample proof Mr. Armstrong “got it right” in the way he taught God’s government.
Who You Follow
Are you prepared to refute the above statements, reasoning they no longer have application because false leaders held the power to permanently destroy God’s government in the Church for the rest of the age? Or do you not think God’s government was ever re-established for the Church?
The committee leading UCG believes that God has not raised up one man to follow. They repeatedly declare that if He had, they would follow him—and that if God does, they will yet follow him.
Such hypocrisy!
Who is kidding whom? Many questions arise—for them and for you: Have they sought that man? Have they examined the fruit of any possible candidates in their thinking? Do they know what to look for? Where do they think this man will come from? If they are eliminating various possibilities—ministers or organizations—are they doing this on the right basis? Do they concern themselves with, or ever think about, the doctrines he would have to be teaching—and how many they would have to change to follow him? Do they realize that this man could not—and would never—compromise government as they do? Is there a working plan in place for how to close down UCG (and COGwa) and follow him when he arrives? I speak as a fool.
Most important, have they sought God’s guidance to find this leader, perhaps collectively praying and fasting in their search? Then, have they considered that God would never condone their “waiting” for such a man under a completely unbiblical form of government? Do these men actually believe that they will suddenly be willing to come under the authority of one man again after so many years of following leadership by “consensus”—where they had a vote and “voice”?
Again, who are they kidding with such incredible hypocrisy?
No serious person—one who really thinks this through—could possibly believe the elected bunch professing this is actively doing ANY of these things! Like the researchers seeking a cure for cancer, these people know if they actually find one they will be out of a job. Do not let this committee deceive you into believing that you can safely trust them to let you know when they have located this man. They are not looking for him. They have no plan or process in place to find him—and are not about to devise one! (We could say humorously that it is surprising they have not appointed a committee for this purpose since they have one for everything else!)
Blindness has covered their eyes. But they are without excuse. Like so many today—if these men were even looking—they would be inclined to seek one whom men speak well of, even though Christ said, “Beware when all men speak well of you.” Will you follow them, or men like them? Is their shallow, phony, self-serving “promise” good enough for you?
Be sure that YOU are not looking to follow one who “played the game,” rose to the top, and has the approbation of men.
The splinters and slivers today have lost track of God’s government. Sardis had also long since lost sight of correct Church government by the time Mr. Armstrong came into contact with them. They also had become disagreeing, divided and competing! This is but one more proof that only the sixth era—Philadelphia—sandwiched between these two eras, experienced the marvelous restoration of God’s wonderfully unified government.
Hierarchical Government?
Let’s consider some other points. Several organizations do have varying forms of hierarchical government. But this does not mean they have the government of God. There are at least two reasons for this.
First, some do not really understand what hierarchical government is. They seem to think it can involve ultimate control by a committee, where the leader can be removed by a majority vote of a committee (also itself elected). This is not even hierarchical government—let alone God’s government! It is democratic, pure and simple. A couple smaller groups also practice this system. They are blind to what they do, not recognizing that God, and God alone, selects and installs the one He has chosen. God’s leader reports to Him and none other—and if God wants to remove this man, He will do it. Mr. Armstrong stated, “The government of God is of necessity government from the top down. It cannot be ‘government by the consent of the governed’” (MYSTERY OF THE AGES, p. 49). This includes committees, small or large.
In the modern spirit of “one man, one vote,” the entire ministry of the United Church of God votes on budgets, strategic plans, doctrines, traditions, policies and selection of council members. This is all done in the spirit of unlimited “openness,” “transparency” and “having nothing to hide.” But this is also done to ensure that their somewhat untrusting members (and ministers!) are pleased with—satisfied by—and will continue giving their seal of approval—translate this: their tithes—to their “home office”!
Such leaders and brethren following them lack faith in Christ’s ability to direct His Church, beginning with one man.
This group even announces publicly which council members voted one way and which another, as well as revealing the names of men being considered for high offices. Such open division—and foolishness! However sincere these leaders may be in their attempt to “correct”—temporarily or permanently—the method of government they feel Mr. Armstrong erroneously installed into the Church, and apparently on his own mistaken authority, this represents an astonishing departure into confusion, division and appalling blindness. Sadly, in a remarkable parallel with Jeremiah’s prophecy (5:31), where “the priests [ministers today] bear rule by their means,” most of God’s people now seem to “love to have it so.”
Such is the age when “the people rule, judge and decide.”
Understand. Men are not authorized to establish a redesign of God’s form of government, and then notify Christ that He will need to modify His thinking. Most cannot even seem to remember that all “notification” works the other way—from Christ to them!
However, there is also this problem—and it is large. Some leaders do carry final authority over decision-making, but, at the same time, teach a whole variety of false doctrines, which they have invariably described as “growing in knowledge” or “minor adjustments” to doctrines that are “not essential for salvation.” Theirs would be a hierarchical government, but it cannot possibly derive its authority from God—carrying HIS PRESENCE in the government! This is because the real remnant of Philadelphia holds to the full truth (Rev. 3:11). In fact, these men have appointed themselves, and their fruits, meaning in part their teachings, show that God could not possibly have installed any of them as the leader of His Church. He cannot be directing such governments, or He would be working against Himself—and His truth!
Pause and consider yourself. After witnessing apostate leaders, coupled with one or more compromised splinter leaders, including the leadership of the first splinter (begun in 1989) who has used government to so terribly brutalize his flock, you are presented with a personal choice. You must either: (1) Conclude that the system of government led by one man was wrong, because it was capable of producing bad leaders, and, as a result, support putting power into the hands of an elected committee to select your leader, or (2) in faith, determine to find the uncompromising man that God has trained and raised up.
There are no other choices. Think this through most carefully—THERE ARE NO OTHER CHOICES!
God’s government was restored to the sixth era of His Church. Mr. Armstrong taught that government is everything. No apostate leader or any man carries the authority (from God or anyone else)—or the power—to permanently banish or remove it from His Church. Neither can they alter its form. The government of God is found where His full, restored truth is taught and practiced, where the gospel is being preached to the whole world, where the special warning is being given to the nations of modern Israel, where the flock is being properly fed and where Christ’s appointed leader is found.
There can be only one such place!
What Mr. Armstrong Taught
What follows next is a single, long quote from Mr. Armstrong. The subject of how many organizations God chooses to work through at one time would be incomplete without it. It is from Mr. Armstrong’s benchmark May 1974 Member letter of thirty pages. This single letter, carrying extensive proof, set the standard for what the entire Church understood and believed about government, when it was confronted with the greatest rebellion that had occurred in the Philadelphian era to that point.
Mr. Armstrong recognized that God’s government has always been from the top down—beginning with one man, which means it must always rest in one organization at a time. Admit that there is no way that the leadership of one man can be divided among several groups. Do not be among those who conveniently believe that how leaders in the splinters choose to design their group’s government can in any way alter the manner in which God governs those of the sixth era (all emphasis Mr. Armstrong’s):
“Today some in the Church of God do not UNDERSTAND just what the Church of God really IS! Some have become confused as to whether there is ORGANIZATION or government in it—and I mean in GOD’S OWN CHURCH! And God HAS ONLY ONE CHURCH! (I Cor. 12:12, 13.) But we of ‘the wise’ shall understand! That understanding shall be made PLAIN in this letter.”
“Many times I have told you, dear Brethren, that when God first called me, beginning in the autumn of 1926, that the living Christ brought me into His truth a step at a time. YOU have not had to learn the truth so slowly—Christ used me to do it for you. And one of the very last truths He opened to me was that of church organization and government!”
“Brethren, I have felt it necessary that you should know and understand these things, so you may realize WHY I did not yet fully understand the truth regarding church government and organization, in February, 1939—MORE THAN 35 YEARS AGO—when I wrote an article on church organization.” [Author’s Note: Many now love to quote this article to advance their own agendas.]
“There had been much confusion and argument among the ‘Sardis’ brethren about church organization. When the new so called ‘Bible Form of Church Organization’ was introduced at Salem, naturally the Stanberry people argued against it. I think we all became confused on the question. It’s like being too close to one tree to see the forest…In both of those—Stanberry and Salem—the people voted—government from the bottom like these dissenters today.”
“We published an article revealing new truth about church organization in The GOOD NEWS, November, 1952, and again in August, 1953, ‘GOVERNMENT in Our Church,’ and in November, 1953, ‘JUDGING and DISCIPLINE in God’s Church.’ As God revealed truth, His Church accepted it. And long since, we came into the FULL TRUTH on church organization and government.”
“Notice, now, the FORM, or PRINCIPLE of God’s government in ancient Israel: It’s given in Exodus 18:13-27.”
“Here is government FROM THE TOP (GOD) on down. Here is God’s own PYRAMID principle of government in ancient Israel.
“At that time the whole NATION—with church and state united—occupied one concise area. The form of organization could be administered by ONE MAN under God, at the top. It was Government from GOD. Under the Eternal God in authority was Moses. Under Moses a NUMBER of rulers, each over THOUSANDS (it could have been several thousands under each ruler). Under each ruler of a thousand, rulers over hundreds. Under each ruler of a hundred, rulers of fifties, and under each of them rulers of tens.
“It was RULE FROM THE TOP DOWN—that is, FROM GOD—it was the GOVERNMENT OF GOD! God chose Moses. Moses chose rulers of thousands, and so on down.”
“In the days of Samuel, the people of Israel rejected GOD as their real Ruler, ruling through such humans as HE chose, as at that time, God was ruling through Samuel. They demanded a MAN to be their king. God gave them Saul, who rebelled against God. Then God gave them David, a man after His own heart. Still it was government FROM THE TOP DOWN!
“That is God’s PRINCIPLE OF GOVERNMENT. It’s the SAME TODAY in His Church! He says, ‘I CHANGE NOT!’ (Mal. 3:6.)”
“As we progress through the Bible on the question of GOVERNMENT, the PRINCIPLE of government, from the TOP DOWN, is consistent. But the application, or details of STRUCTURE differs, and varies to adapt to the time, conditions and facilities. The revolters from God’s Work confuse structural form with PRINCIPLE of government, which is ALWAYS from the TOP (GOD) down. They are NOT THE SAME.
“In the Old Testament, God chose ONE (Moses, Samuel, Saul, David, etc.) at a time, UNDER GOD, because Israel was ONE nation in ONE location or area. ONE at the top of the human level, under God, with others under him, was all that was required to administer the PRINCIPLE of government FROM THE TOP DOWN.
“But in the first century of the Gospel Work in the New Testament, God was sending the Gospel into MANY COUNTRIES, over wide areas. So He organized His Work into TWO principal divisions, or areas—ISRAEL and GENTILES. They were widely separated geographically. Communication was virtually nil, except by personal contact. Transportation was by foot, horse or muleback, or by camel or elephant, or sailboat. If Peter were the sole human head under Christ, it might take him weeks to communicate with the man next under him in Rome, if he were in Jerusalem. So God worked directly with TWO in separated areas.”
“With such communication and transportation facilities available today, Christ requires only ONE, once again, directly under him. Several times I have questioned whether Christ would ordain one or several more apostles, but always on counseling with evangelists, their response has been a decisive and absolute ‘NO.’”
“…the GOVERNMENT OF GOD [is] organized from the TOP DOWN.”
“Now let’s look into New Testament teaching to see how this is POSITIVELY REVEALED.
“I quoted from Galatians 2:7-8 about how Paul was assigned by Christ to head THE WORK to the Gentiles.
“Now notice Titus 1:4-5 and 2:15—Paul wrote to Titus (UNDER PAUL), ‘To Titus, mine own son after the common faith (even as those under me in THE WORK today, are MY own sons, directly or indirectly, in the Lord),… from God the Father (first in rank) and the Lord Jesus Christ (second in rank) our Savior. For this cause left I (next in rank—to Gentiles—under Christ) thee (under Paul’s authority in the Work) in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders (under Titus who is under Paul, who is under Christ) in every city as I had appointed thee.’
“No authority in the Church? What did God MEAN when He says in His Word, ‘OBEY them that have the RULE over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account (as I know I shall) that they may do it with JOY, and not with grief: for that (causing those over you grief) is unprofitable for YOU. Pray for us (THOSE OF US GOD HAS SET IN AUTHORITY TODAY) for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things, willing to live honestly’ (Heb. 13:17-18).
“No government in God’s Church? Then WHY did God inspire this to the Thessalonians? ‘And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are OVER YOU in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves’ (I Thes. 5:12-13).
“One of the things SATAN works overtime in injecting into any mind that will let it enter, is RESENTMENT OF AUTHORITY. GOD’S authority is administered in LOVE—and actually as one SERVING those under His authority for THEIR GOOD and out of loving CONCERN for them. That is the way I try to use what authority God has delegated to me, and I try to teach those under me to use it in the same manner—as a servant, not one lording it over those under him—as JESUS gave us an example. Satan DESPISES government, except as HE himself harshly and in hate employs it.
“But what does God say about DESPISING GOVERNMENT?
“‘But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and DESPISE GOVERNMENT. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities, whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption’ (II Peter 2:10-12).
“Brethren, THAT’S GOD’S WORD, not mine!
“Now notice I Corinthians 12: In this chapter God is showing that in THE WORK of the Church—proclaiming the Gospel to the world, and feeding the flock, there are different ADMINISTRATIONS, different OPERATIONS, in the Church, and for these, God has given various spiritual GIFTS, or empowerments, by His Holy Spirit.”
“So in the Church, God has set differences of ADMINISTRATIONS. For example, we have today the Division of Church Administration (CAD), or, Executive Administration over ministers and churches. There is the Educational Administration, or Executive direction over the Colleges and Imperial Schools. There is Publishing Administration, Broadcast Administration over radio and TV, etc. This of necessity requires organization. The exact pattern or STRUCTURE may vary according to conditions, needs, etc., but the PRINCIPLE of the organization MUST BE THAT OF GOD’S GOVERNMENT, from the TOP, God, then Christ, on down, as CHRIST has directed and chosen.”
“The very fact that God has endowed different members in His Church with additional spiritual gifts, added to their own natural talents and abilities, in itself shows emphatically that there is definite ORGANIZATION in His Church, and that the ORGANIZATION must flow from a chain of authority, according to the PRINCIPLE which GOD (our legislative branch), has set—that is, AUTHORITY FROM THE TOP DOWN. That is the PRINCIPLE. The OPERATIONS refers to functioning according to the practical application of the PRINCIPLE of government given us by GOD.
“The ADMINISTRATIONS in the Church refers to executive performance and managerial responsibilities, NOT to policy-making. In other words, adapting the method of functioning, according to the PRINCIPLE which GOD (the Policy Maker and Law Giver), not we, has laid down.”
“Now WHAT is this chapter (I Corinthians 12) showing? That the Church is ONE—and ONE ONLY—and has many members. That there are different Administrations and different operations (verses 5-6). That there are different spiritual GIFTS (but ONE SPIRIT—verses 4, 7-11). Christ is the Head of the Church, called ‘the Body of Christ,’ having many members for many functions. To show many functions, it is compared to the human body (verses 12-26). Then, we read of the respective offices in rank (verses 27-30).”
“So, as to RANK of offices of executive administration, and operational functions, ‘And GOD hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues (languages)’ (I Cor. 12:28).”
“Notice now! GOD says—the Holy WORD OF GOD says: ‘And GOD set some in the church, first, apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers…’ That’s what GOD says. But [a] leader of the theology of the dissenters from God’s Church says, ‘BUT I THINK it is far better to call these titles, rather than ranks.’ He THINKS his way around the GOVERNMENT OF GOD, and the AUTHORITY which CHRIST has delegated.”
“GOD SAYS, first, secondly, thirdly. But HE THINKS his way around GOD’S WORD! Brethren, GOD’S Church dares not handle the Word of God so carelessly, so deceptively.”
“In the world of the unconverted, those in authority do exercise lordship over those under them. Christ said it should NOT be so with us. But He did not in so saying abolish all authority or rulership. He PUT RULERSHIP in His Church. He DELEGATED authority. What He was teaching His future apostles, is that we in GOD’S GOVERNMENT should NOT bear rule IN THE SAME HARSH AND UNLOVING MANNER as the unconverted in the world.
“Let’s get this point CLEAR. It’s basic. Misunderstanding at this point has caused some to leave God’s Church, and perhaps even God’s salvation and gift of eternal life!
“Notice what Jesus taught… [in] Mark 10:42: ‘…ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them…but so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister,…’ But no one can say Jesus had no authority.
“Years ago, seeing this, and not considering the many, MANY Scriptures charging some in the Church with authority, rulership, saying to ‘rebuke’ the unruly, etc., I took the above scriptures to mean there is no authority in the Church. I did not want to exercise authority. I was still NEW in God’s truth (this was over 40 years ago). So, in the early days of the parent Church of the Philadelphia era, at Eugene, Oregon, I allowed ‘wolves in sheeps’ clothing’ to come in and sow the seeds of discord among brethren. It resulted in splitting the church in two—possibly turning half my flock onto the way that leads into a lake of fire! God had His own way of REBUKING ME SOUNDLY, making me see this in its true light. Jesus here is talking about THE MANNER in which the authority Christ delegates is used. He is NOT saying there is NO AUTHORITY.”
“…in the same speech where Jesus taught against ‘lording it over’ those under one’s authority [Luke 22], He delegated to them authority of KINGSHIP, sitting on twelve thrones.
“I have had to correct some under me in God’s Work on this very point—the manner in which authority was used. Those of us in God’s Church are not YET perfect. We must OVERCOME and GROW in grace. But the remedy is not to take all authority which Christ has delegated OUT of the Church, but to learn to administer it IN THE MANNER Christ has taught.”
“The parallel instruction on the RANK of authority in the Church is Ephesians 4, beginning with verse 11: ‘And he (Christ) gave some,…’ The RSV translates it more clearly: ‘And His gifts were that some should be apostles,’ etc. Continue, ‘some prophets, and some evangelists, and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for THE WORK of the ministry (proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom to all the world), for the edifying of the body of Christ…’”
“God has ONLY ONE CHURCH on earth, which He directs in the doing of His Work—not TWO churches—not MANY denominations and sects, and ‘groups.’ ‘But now are they many members, YET BUT ONE BODY’ (I Cor. 12:20—see also v. 12, 13). ‘For by one Spirit are we all (not part of us) baptized into ONE body’” (all emphasis his).
Brethren Letter, May 2, 1974
This is a powerful statement—and the entire letter is worth reading. Mr. Armstrong leaves no doubt about God’s pattern of government. Take careful note that he never stated leadership through “one man” was only applicable if there was a living apostle. He simply never taught this. And note well Mr. Armstrong’s last paragraph! We will revisit it in detail in the next chapter.
Mr. Armstrong neither designated nor ordained his successor an apostle, and the complete above-quoted letter describes many that God used who also were not apostles (judges, kings, etc.). Without checking, some blindly assert the “We-have-no-apostle-today” argument as the reason they no longer must follow one man—all the while claiming to have a “hierarchical government” (where a board can remove a leader that it no longer wishes to follow). This is a baldly dishonest representation of what Mr. Armstrong taught, offered by men unwilling to yield to the one that God has chosen—and also unwilling to carefully examine whether in fact that man could be an apostle.
How careful will you be in this regard?
We could ask, regarding such groups: What is their point? Why not just say they disagree with Mr. Armstrong on government, since they disagree with him in so many other areas? They reinvent and distort Mr. Armstrong’s plain statements about God working through one man to divert attention from other false doctrines they openly teach or tolerate.
Make—force—your mind to come to grips with this!
Chosen—Never Elected
Where God’s chosen leader is not present as the human leader of an organization, and a board or eldership has selected the spiritual leader, that leader has, in fact, accepted the authority of the board over him. He has no right to claim that the same board cannot remove him—particularly since he cannot possibly claim that God installed him as the leader of the church he presides over—or that he solely reports to and takes direction from God. It would be utterly dishonest for a man to claim that God installed him into leadership, when it was a board or committee of men who cast ballots placing him into office over the organization he “leads”!
This is the very premise used by the “leader” of one of the bigger splinters today, who rebelled and left UCG because it no longer endorsed his leadership, and removed him as President in 1998. He went on record as saying, in effect, “Since the board installed me twice, this means I was God’s choice.”
Ridiculous! But upwards of 2,000 people initially followed this man!
The leader of God’s Church—the man that God has chosen—would NEVER allow himself to be voted into office by a group of any kind in the first place.
God’s leader is always placed into office by Christ after he has been carefully trained and prepared—after he has endured numerous trials and tests, designed to ensure that he would never compromise, with either the truth or the Work, once God installs him into office! This training process, of necessity, ensures that God’s selected leader must lead an organization coming from the humblest possible beginning—where the fruits of growth, works and truth expand around and under him, after he began essentially alone—as Mr. Armstrong did. He cannot rise through the ranks of an already-existing organization run by committee without always having to derive his authority from the committee’s—instead of from God’s lone chosen leader’s—decision to hand him the top position.
What committees of men can give, they can also take away!
Any large organization, one beginning with hundreds or thousands of people, and involving many ministers, like UCG or COGwa, would automatically face the difficult question at the outset of “Who is in charge?” Of necessity, because it started this way, such a group would have no choice but to elect a leader. Think this through, recognizing that God’s chosen leader would never participate in such a process. (Of course, once again, UCG justifies its rejection of God’s method of selection, in place of its own, by continuing to mindlessly assert that God has not yet made clear His choice for them to follow. But I ask one more time: Who among them is looking to see if God has sent another chief shepherd today?)
I repeat: The Government of God – Understanding Offices and Duties is of titanic importance to those who really want to know the why of all the confusion and chaos of the Laodicean age. The chapter here merely introduces the subject. The reader must study and grasp the contents of that book. It is unlike anything you have ever read before on this subject, and recaptures the truth of God’s government that so many have lost.
I implore you to carefully consider the spiritual logic of what Mr. Armstrong understood when he left Sardis with only thirteen brethren joining his family of six. This represented truly the humblest of beginnings, yet it began an organization that eventually grew to enormous size, and had a global impact beyond imagination. This was because of the miraculous power of God working through the man that He had chosen and sent. Be careful of what you may overlook in the message this sends!
This leads directly to a related subject that must be addressed and clarified at this point.