2008

There Came a Falling Away

BY DAVID C. PACK

Herbert W. Armstrong led the Worldwide Church of God for 52 years, teaching hundreds of true doctrines. He proved them from the Bible and told us to do the same. His successors changed them all. Do you think some changes were right? Do you realize ALL were wrong? Have you recognized them? Here they are!

PROLOGUE

DEDICATION

The final edition of this book is dedicated to Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, who would have wanted someone to preserve the truth that God restored through him—and to the sheep he so faithfully served, who needed a shepherd’s help in retrieving what had been stolen from them.

We are pleased to present you with a copy of there came a FALLING AWAY. It is a different kind of book than the others written to those in the splinter offshoots of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG). In fact, it was originally prepared for those still in the WCG because most of the organizations that eventually broke away had not yet formed. The passing of time has made it into more of a reference and history book. And it can be studied over time before, during or after your final decision regarding our Splinter Explanation Packet (SEP).

It took a staggering number of hours and the help of many people to make this very large volume a reality. I am most grateful for their assistance. It would be difficult to know where to start and stop in thanking the contributors. God knows who they are, and He will reward them.

This effort began in the spring of 1993. The result was a thick ringbinder then called Except There Come a Falling Away, which comes from a prophecy in II Thessalonians 2:3. This was really the first edition of this “newer” book, There Came a Falling Away. Over the next year, as more doctrinal changes occurred in the WCG, six more editions were offered. In the spring of 1995, an extensive appendix was added to the seventh edition. (This was about the same time the first edition of its companion Except the Lord Build the House was produced with those who entered the newly-forming largest splinter in mind.) During the next five years, there were no substantive additional changes, editions or appendices. Different editions have circulated (almost 24,000 by the Spring of 2006), with no one edition in the hands of all readers.

While I have returned to amend, expand and improve the book many times over the years, this is the final edition, and also my final effort to tell the story and explain at least certain basic elements of the true meaning of the apostasy in the Worldwide Church of God (WCG). I pray that it will continue to help more see what happened there with full and correct clarity.

Much has been added to this final edition—clarifications, adjustments, additional author’s notes, also this Prologue, etc. It is still not perfect, but no effort of this type could be. It is hoped the reader will understand that an initially small staff of basically untrained (in publishing), but very dedicated, people “pulled off” a project that would normally only be tackled by a large publishing house.

The book now includes an Author’s Statement followed by a Biographical Foreword, which are then followed by several sections, each offering important elements of what happened.

Realize that a book of this type defies the normal tradition of writing in the form of a story flow. The apostasy must be viewed from different perspectives to see the entire picture. What were the changes? How did they come about? Why was the apostates’ seduction so effective? What exactly did God prophesy would happen? Why was this great trial sent upon God’s people? Did Mr. Armstrong ever warn the Church that it was coming? How was the idea for this book formed? Why did I feel that I must undertake the project of compiling and presenting it? What should a true Christian who wants to fully hold fast do about the material in this book? These are all part of why this extensive volume was written as it was.

Carefully reading (and possibly studying) all of the material is vital to seeing the whole picture that is presented. Although this could occur over time, you will commit an injustice against yourself if you do not read all parts. Seeing all of the contrasting quotes on point after point carries its own weight of convincing authority as to the two minds—in reality, two spirits—that were in conflict during the apostasy. I suggest the following approach: Read the book straight through in the order in which it is written, without deviating, sometime after first reading our absolutely vital book “Anoint Your Eyes” – Christ’s Warning to His People, if you have not done so already. That book should be followed by the equally important The Government of God – Understanding Offices and Duties. (But the very first item that should be read is the first section of Why The Restored Church of God? – Should You Join?)

there came a FALLING AWAY steps on many toes. While no author actually sets out to do this, in the case of this book, it is not only unavoidable, but for everyone who survived the apostasy, it is necessary. If what you learn deeply sobers you, then it will have served its purpose. Also, some of those it offends have turned and attacked its source. Since “men love darkness because their deeds are evil” (John 3:19-21), there have been some who have gotten very angry about the light this book sheds on the darkness they prefer. Of course, we are living in the darkest age in history. No converted person doubts this. Since Christ and all His disciples “are the light of the world,” then this alone puts true Christians in harm’s way—just as much as it did Christ Himself. After 40 years in the truth, I was not naïve about the level of persecution this much “bright light” would produce—and neither should you be.

Some people wish to be secret admirers of God’s truth and way, meaning they “love” the truth as long as they can remain unseen “in a closet.” It takes spiritual courage to be true Christians, because they are part of “a city set on a hill that cannot be hid.” Jesus Christ said that Philadelphians have “not denied My name” (Rev. 3:8). It is apparent that one of the ways many have done this (those of the seventh era) is that they will have been embarrassed by certain truths that left them feeling “uncomfortable” when under scrutiny from worldly peers. Many have gone to certain organizations because they determined in advance that they could be more “comfortable” there. They may have convinced themselves that they should shed some of God’s more “difficult” truths. Of course, these “embarrassing” doctrines—those that brethren are often ashamed of—vary from person to person.

Many do not want to appear extreme by holding to all that God’s people once treasured. Others have found a wonderful convenience in being able to declare they “grew out of” certain teachings. Coincidentally, these will probably be the same doctrines they considered embarrassing. Of course, they cannot see that they denied Christ’s authority (His name) by saying, in effect, He was too weak to fully guide His apostle, thus leaving Mr. Armstrong unable to “restore ALL things” to the Church (Matt. 17:11). This means some will have to conclude that the many times Mr. Armstrong told the Church, “Christ puts truth into the Church through apostles” were merely misguided statements of a sincere man, but one who was occasionally doctrinally confused. They may further conclude that he was an apostle—but one who taught wrong doctrines and who could not have been the final Elijah. (Carefully study i will send ELIJAH to restore all things to comprehend why Mr. Armstrong’s fulfillment of this prophecy is so important—so crucial—to understand.)

Some demand written proof that The Restored Church of God (RCG) is committed to exact doctrinal integrity. That is certainly fair! This book, along with all of the others prepared for the splinters, publicly and permanently removes all doubt. No other organization is willing to go on record as clearly or thoroughly as RCG. This way, other organizations can remain “fluid” with certain doctrines—and I do not apologize for the strength of this statement! I have often said, “If I ever tried to forsake parts of the truth, I could never get away with it, because people could simply confront me with my own books”—and if they didn’t, they probably should.

Also, this book, with Except the Lord Build the House and The Work of God – Its Final Chapter!, basically silences those who say that either The Restored Church of God or I am not committed to doing the Work of preaching the gospel to the world. Let me explain. While we are also using other means, and I have personally rewritten every one of the truths contained in Mr. Armstrong’s books, booklets and articles, a synopsis of most of God’s doctrines could be placed in the hands of new prospective members in just this one book! In fact, note that the Work being done here today is already otherwise immense in size, compared to all other groups.

Millions once heard and read the words of Herbert W. Armstrong. The majority of these people are still alive and scattered around the world, still searching and wondering what happened. Some have contacted us, and this is increasing as time passes. It is no accident that the very first doctrinal change documented in this book is the replacement of the true gospel with the Protestant counterfeit that Jesus is the gospel, instead of the Messenger of it. This has always been the first change listed in the book. The replacement of the doctrine of the soon-coming kingdom of God, with the false idea that the kingdom is here now, is second. For all who have eyes to see, this was its own plain statement about our determination to do the Work very early on!

Because of the passing of time and further advancement of events post-apostasy, I repeat that this extensive compilation of information is now more of a reference work—one very helpful for research and comparison of organizations claiming to teach the truth, but which can be proven to teach false doctrines where some truth once stood. The book is still able to present extremely helpful facts and very interesting information in regard to elements of truth large and small that the reader has almost certainly lost. How ironic that the reader will discover so many splinter leaders saying the very same thing this book demonstrates that Joseph W. Tkach and the other apostates taught.

May God help all who examine this book to see what they have lost and to deeply desire to have all of it back again!

AUTHOR’S STATEMENT

In December 1992, I sat down in a restaurant with a notepad and a cup of coffee. I had decided to make a list of every doctrinal change I could think of that had occurred in the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) to that point. Working from simple recall, my very first list exceeded 30 in number. Over the next ten weeks, until I was fired from the WCG in early 1993, the list slowly grew to 75. Within a month after my termination, I had discovered well over 100. By early May, I had created a somewhat more formal list of 154 changes, which I typed out for distribution to anyone who asked for it. Somehow this list found its way to Joseph W. Tkach, Sr. It is the list to which he referred in the quote shown on the back cover of this book.

An Idea Was Born

Within three days of being fired from the WCG on March 2, 1993, my phone began to almost literally “ring off the hook.” Nearly everyone I spoke to had the same two questions, always phrased about the same: “What are the changes?” and “What do we do about them?” Throughout the apostasy, these remained the two biggest questions in people’s minds. And they become central to the thinking of every true Christian who faces the painful reality that false leaders have captured the visible, meaning in this age corporate, sheepfold. I spent a staggering number of hours repeatedly answering these two questions. (In fact, circumstances in the splinters have kept these two questions alive and well, as they will be throughout the age.)

I was soon worn out by the endless long days of wading through proof of the doctrinal changes, one by one, with each person, one by one, and the biblical reasons, one by one, for following the truth. Many were the days I never made it out of my pajamas or even had time to eat. I barely had time to stop for a drink of water as the crush of phone calls became never-ending. Initially, there were no other pastors who had yet been fired or had resigned from the WCG who could help me. Slowly, I realized that I had to try to record the changes in a book that could be offered to anyone who wished to have it. As enormous as the task appeared to be, various editions began to emerge over the next two years. This book became my attempt to answer the question, “What are the changes?”

At this same time, I began to produce a three-part sermon series, each having a slightly different title, but containing the words “30 Reasons to Follow the Truth.” That series complemented this book and reflected 90 biblical reasons why Christians should always follow the truth and not a human government that left the truth. These tapes were generally enclosed with the book from 1993 through 1997.

These sermons actually represent the biblical perspective of a very large doctrine that was never really taught in the Church in any coherent way. This teaching is best summarized by the question, “What does God (not men) say to do in an apostasy when false leaders have captured the corporate ‘Church’?” This doctrine was never seriously addressed (Mr. Armstrong did periodically refer to false leaders who brought the onset of the “lost century” in early Church history) because the Church did not understand that it needed to research and explain it. Why? Because in the past, it was felt that a full-blown apostasy simply could not happen! Since Christ was the Head of the Church, we assumed false leaders could never capture the corporation! Since He was in charge, He would surely “put the Church back on track,” just as Mr. Armstrong did in the 1970s, when the Church had grown liberal. One simply needed to be patient until God did this.

To leave “God’s government in the Worldwide Church of God” was inconceivable—incomprehensible—for most people. For many, it was completely out of the question. So I was forced, over the next 21 months, to carefully, thoroughly research what God instructs Christians to DO under these circumstances. I was amazed at how much the Bible had to say about this largely overlooked and misunderstood subject. These sermons became my attempt to answer the second of the above two questions, “What do we DO about the changes?”

It has been estimated that 10,000 to 15,000 people heard those tapes and left the WCG to go to one of several major “splinter” groups. Many more than this hold various editions of this book.

A Killer and Destroyer at Work

God inspired the apostle Paul to compare heresy to both leaven and cancer. Everyone understands that leaven always spreads until it fills its host (Gal. 5:7-9). Similarly, cancer always spreads until it kills its host (II Tim. 2:16-18—the margin allows for a translation of “gangrene,” which functions in the same way as cancer). No one can dispute how these two agents work. Certainly God has always understood this, and must have carefully chosen these terms as the best comparisons for false teaching. While people have forgotten how they spread, God has not! But everyone knows that cancer and gangrene are killers!

With this introduction in mind, examine the entire 10th chapter of John. This fascinating chapter of scripture is particularly instructive today. There, in addition to calling false leaders “wolves” and “strangers,” Christ also calls them “thieves and robbers.” In verse 10, He explains, “The thief comes not, but for to steal, kill, and to destroy.” God calls the devil a murderer (John 8:44) and a destroyer (Rev. 9:11). Satan loves to kill people, physically and spiritually, and would destroy—do away with—the truth however he could. He has never wanted human beings to have the salvation that has been denied him.

As you read, consider the amount of truth that Satan and his agents have successfully subverted from the minds of God’s people. Also consider the number of people who have been spiritually “slaughtered” by this long process. What has occurred could only be described as a Church of God “holocaust.” The survivors among God’s people have literally been witness to a spiritual holocaust in the WCG.

A thief is a thief! He is one who steals what is not his. Why does Christ label false leaders, who have crept into His Church, as “thieves”? The answer is simple! They always steal at least three things: (1)PEOPLE who belong to Christ—that He has “bought with a price” (I Cor. 6:20); (2) TITHES, which belong to God (Lev. 27:30)! (hundreds of millions of God’s tithe dollars have been stolen from Him by false leaders over a period of years); and (3) TRUTH from the visible Church.

No one who loves the truth of God can question that Mr. Armstrong led the Philadelphian Era of Christ’s Church. We could then ask: How could this man—or this era—have been wrong on so many basic, vital, important doctrinal truths and have received no criticism from Christ in the book of Revelation (3:7-14)? (The Philadelphia and Smyrna eras are the only two eras for which Christ had no correction, though both did have problems with a special fraternity of liars called the “synagogue of Satan.”) One must rectify this apparent enormous scriptural discrepancy in order to believe that either these wholesale changes or any changes—supposedly toward the truth instead of away from it—are correct.

Since Philadelphians are told, “Hold that fast which you have” (Rev. 3:11), and this is tied directly to retaining their crown, then accepting any of the changes becomes its own real problem. Consider this statement carefully! However, anyone who chooses to reject all of the changes is invariably called “an Armstrong worshipper,” to deliberately obscure the fact that he is really “a truth of God lover.” But it certainly does “play in Peoria” better if these are depicted as worshipping Mr. Armstrong.

An Old Pattern Returns

The 280 doctrinal changes listed in this book are not random and meaningless. The great architect of false religion always leaves the same footprints. While Satan is extremely cunning and deceptive, he is largely unoriginal! These changes reflect a direct return to the long-held, popular teachings and beliefs of this world’s churches. Some reflect Catholicism. Others reflect Protestantism. Still others reflect Greek Orthodoxy. And still others reflect the rudiments of this world’s philosophies. Do not ever disconnect this central master plan, and result, from what all these false teachings represent—what they mean! The WCG is not returning to the world—it is already there, just as much as any other Sunday-keeping group is—and has been there since 1995! (Most or all WCG congregations now keep Sunday.) Sadly, many people’s recollection of the teachings of the churches from which God originally called them, has faded. Many have re-accepted their same pre-calling, pagan beliefs, without proper recognition, merely because of different, more clever packaging—and because of a highly aggressive marketing campaign to sell them to the membership. (Thousands in the splinters have done the same.)

II Thessalonians 2:3 reveals that a “falling away” (Greek—apostasia—“a defection from truth”) would precede Christ’s Second Coming. Verses 10 and 13 explain that receiving salvation is attached to both a “love of the truth” and a “belief of the truth.” Everything that happened in the WCG was foretold nearly 2,000 years ago. No one should any longer doubt that these events occurred exactly on schedule. While many seem terribly confused by what occurred, they should be encouraged and excited. Prophecy is right on schedule! Nothing is out of control! In its own way, this should excite and inspire brethren who can now see through what has happened, and is still happening to the scattered brethren throughout the splinters—to those who are not fully holding fast!

Titus 3:9-11 says heretics are to be rejected and avoided. Two thousand years of Church history demonstrate that people of truth and courage (always the small minority) have been willing to follow this biblical command. (To understand much more, listen to the sermons “God’s Way: Small, Little, Few” and the three times “30 Reasons” series, available on our website, www.TheRCG.org/sermons.html.)

What Is the Church?

Many brethren never stop to consider whether there is a Bible definition of the Church. There is!—and it is found in I Timothy 3:15. Consider the following translations of this scripture as you evaluate where the living, active, true Church of God is always found: “…the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (KJV), “…the pillar and foundation of the truth” (Goodspeed), “…and the support of the truth” (Berkley NT), “…and buttress of the truth” (Weymouth), “…and bulwark of the truth” (Moffatt), “…and mainstay of the truth” (Montgomery NT), “…and stay—the prop and support—of the truth” (Amplified), “…and the base of what is true” (Basic English NT), “…the foundation upon which the truth rests” (Knox NT).

With this framework, consider this quote from Mr. Armstrong, from a broadcast of approximately 30 years ago. It is found almost verbatim in his booklet The Plain Truth About Easter (pp. 15-16). The powerful impact of its message is an amazing parallel of today. Of course, the emphasis is mine throughout:

“And even in Paul’s day many among those attending at Antioch, at Jerusalem, at Ephesus, at Corinth, and other places began to apostatize and to turn away from the truth. Divisions [Author’s note: Notice that Mr. Armstrong understood that the first century apostasy produced numerous groups, holding to a variety of different wrong ideas mixed with truth.] sprang up and those individuals unconverted or turned from God’s truth and way of life were no part of God’s true Church though visibly assembling with those who were. The mystery of iniquity was already working as the Apostle Paul wrote in II Thessalonians, the 2nd chapter, and it was working inside of the visible churches. This apostasy increased and by the year of 125 A.D. the majority in most churches now, the majority assembling for services in most churches [were continuing in many of their old pagan beliefs and practices, though professing to be Christians]. And, incidentally, they still assembled on the Sabbath day – believe it or not – that’s the day we call Saturday…Now, gradually, a smaller and smaller portion of the visible churches going by the name Christian remained truly yielded to God and to His truth and lead by His Spirit. And after Emperor Constantine took virtual control of the visible professing church, in the early 4th century, the visible organization became almost wholly pagan and they began excommunicating and persecuting all who held to the true Word of God – the Bible! And finally it became necessary for all real Christians, even as a scattered people, it became necessary for them to flee. And they, the ones that were led by the Spirit of God, the ones in whom Jesus Christ was living His life in them, they alone composed the true Church and they had to flee the jurisdiction of the government in order to truly worship God. That’s what’s happened my friends, to the Church, but GOD STILL HAS HIS MINISTERS. GOD STILL HAS HIS CHURCH. I want to tell you that God’s truth is still written in the pages of your Bible if you’ll blow the dust off of it and look at it as it is.”

No Intention of Attacking People

I tried as hard as humanly possible not to write this book in a spirit of attack or hostility, and I am neither bitter nor angry, though I have been accused of this. But I do hope that many brethren will have “righteous indignation” in a proper way over what took place in God’s Church. These feelings are not wrong and are actually scriptural in certain circumstances—and this can keep people zealous for full solutions—not partial ones. Jesus taught, “Be not angry with your brother without a cause.” God says that He “is angry with the wicked every day,” and that He will be angry at the entire world for a full year during the “Year of God’s Wrath,” usually called the “Day of the Lord.” Mr. Armstrong was not bitter or angry when he powerfully pointed out the false doctrines and errors of this world’s churches. And then only physical destruction was at stake for those who did not heed. Should I be less thorough or fervent when eternal life is at stake for those who will not listen?

The Bible contains a long list of God’s servants who had to point out error even though it brought them accusation from their detractors. I am neither villain nor hero. I know that I have the pearl of great price and I am determined to keep it full, round and smooth, and none of it can be allowed to be chipped away. My ordination as a minister, and training by Mr. Armstrong, require me to help as many sheep as possible to do the same.

I have no interest in attacking personalities as some do—that is Satan’s role! True ministers are for the truth, not against individuals.

Comprehensive Record

This is a truly exhaustive compilation of virtually every WCG doctrinal and policy change through 1995. To my knowledge, it is the only published attempt to capture the full scope of what happened there. While some of these changes are smaller and less significant, others are huge and have a devastating impact on belief and practice. Also, many of the changes involved numerous re-explanations of individual scriptures that could have been listed separately, thus making this list almost unending.

Note that changes 236-280 were originally recorded in an Appendix, separate from the book. They reflected the final wholesale abandonment, in late December 1994, of the central biblical teachings that involve and require obedience to God, and on numerous vital matters. Earlier reported changes that I listed did not reflect that this had yet happened. Basically, I recorded changes in the order that they occurred! Therefore, some author’s notes may not appear to reflect a clear recognition of what would later be a more obvious and open abandonment of certain truths.

A more comprehensive approach was carried out, at the risk of being called picky or twiggy, because the final product would demonstrate that wrong doctrine eventually leavens everything that it touches. In this regard, carefully note the Section II lead-in, “Why So Many Changes are Included.”

Although not always possible, I have also tried to keep edits and commentary to a minimum throughout in order to allow the reader to be convicted by the weight of the changes themselves. In some instances, author’s notes are necessary to make clear the apostates’ overall strategic and/or tactical thinking.

“Proving All Things”

Space does not allow for the inclusion of all the information needed to prove the old teachings correct. This is not the purpose of the book. (The Restored Church of God has a vast amount of other literature that does this, and in exhaustive detail.) But it is hoped that this record will spur as many as possible to their own research and conclusions, and our literature is very helpful in cementing—or recementing—God’s doctrines into the mind.

Truth has always had its own attraction to those who love it. If someone deeply covets the truth of God, I have often said that he will “run through fire barefoot, over broken glass, jump deadly snakes and swim through alligators” to reach it! Make no mistake! This book will challenge—and is in part intended and written to challenge—you deeply on how much you love God’s truth and His way of life. Again, this means that you may find some personal research is necessary after you finish it.

Between 1,500 and 2,000 quotes are included in the book. Assuming that the truth could be quantified, this book demonstrates that nearly 100% of what Herbert W. Armstrong taught God’s people was thrown from the WCG! Possibly, some tiny fragments of a few truths may still remain there. I stopped counting years ago. Even the name of the church has now changed.

Title Revised

The original title of the first editions of this book was in a different tense, having been Except There Come a Falling Away (again, a reference to Paul’s prophesied warning in II Thessalonians 2:3). Since the worst part of the falling away is now behind the Church, I decided that the title should come to reflect past tense. However, in one sense, the falling away from some aspects of the restored truth is still occurring in numerous ways within the splinters and slivers. It is most crucial to understand this. Therefore, the reader will occasionally see a reference to these groups—“splinters”—among the author’s notes. Two large sections (“Why So Many Splinter Groups?” and “False Doctrines”) of our book Surviving “Perilous Times” discuss this widespread continuing problem in much greater detail. So do virtually all of the others to the splinters, with The Government of God and “Anoint Your Eyes” – Christ’s Warning to His People the centerpieces.

Repeating a note from the Prologue, a side note is important here: Understand. The Worldwide Church of God has long since gone back to the world. What is presented in this book are largely established facts of history, now involving a look back at a period of time—the early- to mid-1990s—when these things were actually happening. The author’s notes all through the book have slowly come to reflect a time period that is over. Some do not. Today, many would be written differently—from the perspective of the early 21st century, as though they had happened years ago. But continually altering the book as the years pass becomes an unnecessary and complex endeavor toward no real helpful end. So periodically remind yourself of why much (not all) of the book is written in present tense—I was trying to help people who were becoming entangled at that time, rather than offering a review of a time long past from today’s perspective.

No Further Editions

The book now contains 280 doctrinal changes. In 1993, I realized that eventually the WCG leadership would throw away everything that God used Herbert W. Armstrong to teach to His Church. Therefore, I wanted a record for all who wished to know everything that had been changed, and how and where they could have it restored. I repeat: The scope of what happened is now a matter of public, and even historic, record. This book attempts to capture this record in an organized way for the many who have asked (and for a few who may still be asking), “What were the changes?” All with eyes to see and ears to hear will understand that 280 documented changes are more than sufficient to convict the follower of truth that he must leave error—wherever it is being taught!

I encourage you to read the entire book to grasp the full scope of what happened. The same process led by the same spirit is still at work within the splinters, but it is simply happening at a slower pace! To hop around or only read selected parts of the book will greatly obscure the complete story, including this part!

It became inevitable that this book would fall into the hands of people whose goal would be to attack and discredit it. I claim it to be neither complete nor perfect. My book Should Accusers Be Answered? – Do You Believe Obvious Lies? explains why I never answer critics. Do not let yourself worry about what people will say as you decide what to do! Remember, critics always seem to know exactly how to critique the work of others, while being too lazy or weak to ever attempt that same work themselves!

Clever arguments can probably appear to explain away a few of these changes. Will you permit that to obscure the massive scope of probably the greatest apostasy in history? Or will you prove all things, hold fast that which is good and only follow teachers of the full restored truth?

Also note that the changes are listed in the general order that they were introduced within the apostasy. This means that the reader must recognize the worst and most obvious changes appeared later, after the Church had been conditioned and inoculated to the way the process worked when lower-profile truths were being thrown away.

Mr. Armstrong’s Warning

Mr. Armstrong left a message for everyone today. We need not wonder exactly what he would say if he suddenly reappeared to survey the devastation. In 1934, when he decided to leave the Sardis era of the Church over (what some consider) relatively minor issues of truth, he demonstrated by his actions what he would do. At the individual level, he saw people depart from the truth over and over in his lifetime:

“Rather astonishing, isn’t it, that people who have heard God’s TRUTH preached for many years – people who at first accepted it in the love of God, professed it, started out practicing it – should, through the years, fall away from the truth…[and] begin to embrace false doctrines and errors…

“What is God’s sentence upon them? Listen!

“‘It is IMPOSSIBLE for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted of the good Word of God…if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh’ (Heb. 6:4-6). ‘Let it be a warning to ALL, and let all FEAR, and TREMBLE before the all-powerful WORD OF GOD!’”

Herbert W. Armstrong, “Why Local Churches?”, GN, March 1957

A Final Thought

It is too late to help many thousands who have completely fallen away from God’s truth. It is impossible “to renew them again unto repentance” (Heb. 6:6). The incredible destruction that swept so many away caused me to often ask, how could so many give up so much so fast because of the deception of so few? The answer lies in this famous quote by Adolf Hitler: “What luck for rulers that men do not think.”

Do not let yourself be one of those people who “do not think”! Pray, study—and THINK—as you read this book, and decide how you will act upon it!

BIOGRAPHICAL FOREWORD

Many have asked about me personally—who I am and why I prepared there came a FALLING AWAY. Why did I separate from the WCG when I did, in early 1993? Why did I choose the original Church affiliation that I did?

Here is a personal background, describing in the briefest way certain key events in my ministry.

God called me in 1966 when I was 17 years old and living in Lima, Ohio. I went to Ambassador College (Pasadena) a little over a year later in 1967 and graduated in 1971. My first field assignment was as a summer assistant in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1970. Upon graduation, I married Miss Shirley Ochs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was again assigned to Indianapolis.

My wife had been Mr. Armstrong’s secretary, off and on, for a period that spanned eight years until 1971 and included her years as a student. She graduated in 1968 and had become his secretary again for one and a half years before we were married. I still remember his counseling her before our wedding for about two hours, via long distance from the Philippines. In fact, it was my wife’s position as Mr. Armstrong’s secretary that led me into a special friendship with him, which lasted until his death. The teaching and observations I gleaned from him could form its own separate book.

My entire ministry was a continuous series of assignments replacing ministers who were either fired, suspended or who had quit their pastorates and the Church. As a result, I continually found myself serving where people were divided, embattled, experiencing false teaching and generally confused. Sometimes, many brethren had just left the Church, 165 in one area. While the details would be tedious to read, these assignments became experiences that defined and galvanized my ministry into what it is today.

Unfortunately, addressing the problems that existed in pastorates that I had inherited made it impossible to avoid a whole variety of tough decisions. Because I was determined to always squarely face those decisions, I developed a reputation for being “tough and mean,” when all I had really done was administer a basic distinction between right and wrong. While most others apparently found this difficult, for those who follow Scripture it is simply what you have to do. Taking the political route or avoiding these decisions would have made my life much easier in the short run, but I would have neglected the true needs of the flock in the long run.

The greatest lesson that I learned through those many difficult years is that true—uncompromising—leadership can be terribly lonely. I spent much of my ministry “in trouble” because I would not cover my eyes to, or sweep under the rug, matters of clear right and wrong—and what I must do about what I saw.

Demoted to Associate Pastor

Just before Mr. Armstrong died, his soon-to-be successor demoted me to Associate Pastor. After serving a large pastorate in Buffalo, New York, my wife, three children and I were sent to serve in the most difficult parts of New York City. This man intensely despised me and had often directly threatened me because of my relationship with Mr. Armstrong. My demotion lasted for over four years, and during this time I was permitted to do very little, even when compared to the regular duties of an Associate Pastor.

During this punishment period (the late 1980s), in order to avoid bitterness while waiting for God to deliver me, I spent a great many hours writing out, by hand, thousands of scriptures on every biblical subject I could think of. I determined to never forget the painful, humbling period that God allowed me to endure upon my removal from perhaps the Church’s largest pastorate, at least shortly before that time. I still review these handwritten verses.

In February 1990, I was sent to Akron, Ohio, and allowed to serve as a full pastor once again. The timing of this transfer coincided with the replacement of a minister who had been fired in late 1989 and started his own group. By this time, I had begun to notice certain subtle doctrinal changes slipping into the Church’s literature. One year later, a headquarters minister (who was at the time my best friend) was sent to “reason with me” about the changes I was resisting. I had been registering my complaints with this particular man since the 1989 Feast, when we discussed future changes that he hinted were “coming downstream.”

Key Conversations

In this February 1991 visit, I raised four specific concerns: the issue of Christians being “born again” in this life, the idea that trying to “imitate Christ” was now being seen as a “false hope,” men wearing earrings, and the most early beginnings of the trinity doctrine. Several of these issues had appeared in a January 1991 Pastor General’s Report. At the same time, the bi-monthly publication for ministers, known as Reviews You Can Use, also hinted that the trinity was on the way, but most ministers were missing the clues. To say that our discussions were “vigorous” would be an understatement! Since this man had been sent to “quiet me down,” it was only his friendship that apparently kept me from being fired or demoted at that time.

I slowly developed a crisis of conscience until May of 1992, when I flew to Pasadena for the ministerial “Refresher Program.” I met with this same minister for a period of 11 hours, at lunch, then dinner, and afterward at his home. It was during this discussion that he explained the new headquarters “vision.” What he said shocked and stunned me beyond belief: “We [various key men in Pasadena involved in the plan] believe Herbert Armstrong was a cult leader who built the Church on sand and filled it full of prophecy freaks [his words]. He never built on Jesus Christ. We’re going to blow all the sand and prophecy freaks from the Church, even if we lose half the members, and build on Christ for the first time. Furthermore, Mr. Armstrong was a dictator, a plagiarizer, a hype-artist who exaggerated everything, and an autocrat who was lost in the 19th century.”

This man also said (and here I am paraphrasing): “I doubt that some of the senior evangelists were ever converted because we are finding they are so hopelessly filled with ‘Armstrongism.’” It became obvious that he was one of the key architects of the previous, and yet-to-be-announced, doctrinal destruction, which he related with such excitement. (Sadly, and this is still an unfolding surprise to those who are carefully investigating, later history demonstrated that all of those senior evangelists he referenced were not as filled with so-called “Armstrongism” as many supposed.)

No Turnaround Coming

At this point, I realized that there was no hope for a turnaround in the Worldwide Church of God. And I had been privately warning of this, since early 1991, to many friends in the ministry. They shared some of my concerns, but none shared them all. I also focused on trying to reach as many as possible in my pastorate. At that time, I had not a hint, inkling or clue that God wanted me to “start another church.” I did realize that He had to raise up someone who would hold fast to the full truth that Mr. Armstrong had taught (and the Church had proven to be correct). I assumed that this had to be a senior evangelist, and I thought at the time that I knew who this man might be.

I determined to wait patiently until God raised up the man who would hold to all that God had taught the Church, without compromise. One other pastor had left (I briefly referred to him earlier) in December 1989. I knew, however, that, in addition to being untrained and insufficiently experienced, this man’s thinking and writings were even then—and he is much worse now—so unsound and bizarre that it was not possible that God would use him to lead the reorganization of His Church. So I waited, from May 1992, for God to raise up one whom I thought He would use.

Because of God’s overall plan and lesson-learning that He had in mind for me, it never occurred to me once, for even a split second, to strike out on my own. While this may trouble some who think that I should have done this earlier, the timing would have been all wrong, from the perspective of God’s purpose. (Details of this, including my training and preparation, are thoroughly covered in other SEP books.) I was determined, however, to never consciously compromise, and to speak out forcefully against all false teaching whenever I saw it. I recognized that I would not remain undiscovered for long.

Another “god”

In the fall of 1992, the infamous God Is… booklet was introduced to the Church. Through this booklet, it was clear that a false, pagan, 1,700-year-old, man-made, non-existent “god” was being presented to the Church in place of the true God. This was a tremendous shot across the bow of the Church that went largely unrecognized. I knew that the acknowledgment and adoration of the pagan cross must soon follow. In fact, this happened in January of 1993. It became clear that my time had run out. At that time, I thought that the WCG had become the Laodicean Church. It was not until some time later that I realized the leadership would depart from God altogether. Though I am jumping ahead, it was in 1994 and 1995 that it became clear that people of two kinds of thinking were fleeing the apostasy, in an essentially co-mingled condition! Some had accepted wrong teachings, but desired the full truth—and others had knowingly accepted different doctrines, but had no interest in returning to what they considered “old ideas.”

The Bible demonstrates that God’s people must depart the organization when a new god is introduced—and that this change is always the doctrinal “point of no return.” Once the true God is disfellowshipped from the Church, it cannot possibly be the Church of God any longer. Literally, it would then become the “church of ANOTHER god!”—and we could add “another Jesus” (II Cor. 11:4). I Corinthians 10:6-15 states bluntly that people must flee when confronted by idolatry and the worship of a false god. Carefully note verse 14 and the phrase “flee from idolatry.” I recognized that Revelation 3:20 pictured the true Christ outside Laodicea “knocking on each man’s door.”

In December 1992, the minister who would start the Global Church of God (on January 2, 1993) was fired from the WCG. He was an older evangelist who had entered Ambassador College in 1949. I had always thought him to be doctrinally sound. After he was fired, he spoke of “restarting the Work” and “preaching the full truth” again, and I believed him. This man and I were, literally, family to one another (in-laws through marriage) and had been relatively close friends for well over 20 years. Another senior evangelist spoke privately to me of joining him. This man was also a friend and “family.” I had always also thought this second man to be doctrinally sound, one who respected the Work and who would defend all of Mr. Armstrong’s teachings.

I now believed I had received a clear signal from God as to where He wanted me to go. I thought this leader would be used to gather and lead the remnant of the Philadelphian era. (My “90 Reasons” series reflects that I have always felt that we must leave the Laodicean Church to remain Philadelphian. “ANOINT YOUR EYES” – Christ’s Warning to His People includes an explanation why I have never departed from this biblical understanding.)

So I began to make preparations for what had become another imminent termination and gave blunter warnings to various friends and brethren over the next two-month period. I became even more active in speaking against the doctrinal changes. Since a local deacon and an elder in the Akron congregation were carefully monitoring me and reporting to Pasadena, it became clear that I would not survive much longer in the Worldwide Church of God.

A Final Sermon

With time short and events tightening around me, I determined that I should give a special, powerful sermon on February 27, 1993, on the word truth as it is found throughout the Bible. I decided to include, as many as I could possibly fit into one sermon, all of the important aspects of this single word, simply titling the sermon “Truth”! I surveyed a great many scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation, and demonstrated that this one word represented the single most important subject in the entire Bible, and that it is the umbrella that overarches every other subject. Though numerous false stories have been spread concerning my separation, this is all that I did on that date. (This sermon is available on our website.)

On that particular Sabbath, there were a number of guests visiting from surrounding areas. A firestorm arose immediately after I finished. A tape of the message was overnighted to Pasadena, and I was summarily fired on Tuesday, three days later, without proper, or even any, notice. Several ministers, who have since gone with the largest splinter, turned me in, and I actually learned of my termination by word of mouth.

I gave this sermon because of a personal admonition given to me by Mr. Armstrong fourteen years before. Had this not happened, I might not have known exactly what to do. He told me directly, face-to-face, “If false leaders ever take control of the Church, I hope you won’t teach their false ideas.” Many long-time ministers can remember him making similar statements openly, more than once, in meetings back in the 50s and 60s. He would say words to this effect: “If you men ever get rid of me, Loma and I will just walk across the street and start over.” This is still public record.

A true minister of God must be willing to give up friendships, through disfellowshipment, to continue teaching God’s truth. He must always be willing to “lay down his life” for the sheep. I did not believe for a minute that “quietly resigning” satisfied this command, and I could not conceive of Mr. Armstrong doing that. (Of course, most ministers quietly slipped from the WCG having issued essentially no real or in any sense thorough warning to anyone.) Three times, when I attempted to fight for God’s people (in 1993, 1998 and 1999), three different Church headquarters called me a liar. This was sufficient for the majority who heard these charges to presume they must be true. Yet, it is its own great irony in our time that those who will not teach the truth are seemingly presumed to always tell the truth—especially about people who will not compromise doctrinal truth.

One of the tasks of a true minister has always been fulfilling Titus 1:9-11, in which it speaks of selecting men for ordination into the ministry. One must be found “holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.” The next two verses explain that he must fight to protect whole households from “vain talkers and deceivers” who are “subverting” them.

Change 280 will make clear, and in painstaking detail, the duty of all true shepherds. On page 262 of MYSTERY OF THE AGES, Mr. Armstrong wrote the following: “It is the duty of Christ’s true ministers (and how scarce today) to protect the begotten but yet unborn saints from false doctrines, and false ministers.” (Emphasis his.) It is this and other quotes like it that still lead and motivate me as I strive to preserve God’s precious truth for all who still care about it.

Global Church of God Minister

I was fired from the WCG ministry, after 22 years, and became a minister of the Global Church of God (GCG), serving a wide region of the United States from Akron, Ohio. Over time, I found myself establishing dozens of “video groups” (as we called them) throughout the northeast, southeast and central portions of the country. By mid-1994, I became a Regional Pastor supervising the full-time ministry in this general part of the United States and Canada. In early 1995, at its outset, I was appointed to the Global Council of Elders. Periodically, I also wrote for various publications that this group produced. The six years and two months that I spent in GCG was a time of vast lesson-learning and of gaining much valuable experience.

By 1996, I had already expressed several small doctrinal concerns in which Global was drifting from what the Bible and Mr. Armstrong had taught. I ALWAYS presented these concerns to the Council and rarely was anything ever resolved. The leader had his own doctrinal agenda, and he believed that Mr. Armstrong was neither the prophesied Elijah, of Matthew 17:11 and Malachi 4:5-6, nor then could he have “restored all things” to the Church. This alone indicated the path that the organization would eventually take. Each time I stood up for doctrinal truth, within my region or in the GCG Council of Elders, I found myself “in trouble.”

A familiar pattern was returning.

By the end of 1996, I was removed as a Regional Pastor and replaced by a man who was terribly liberal in his doctrinal understanding and approach to the ministry. This was a very clear statement to me! I strove through 1997 to take a strong stand on doctrinal and administrative matters, which demanded no compromise. I boldly confronted the leader (first alone and then with witnesses) about his doctrinal drift and other matters. Slowly, all throughout 1998, a definite division grew in the Council, involving the leader’s teachings and conduct. (It serves no useful purpose to cover particulars, and I am determined to never attack the personal character of specific splinter leaders. I will, however, always fight vigorously for true doctrine.)

By early fall of 1998, I was privately warned that I was being “targeted” by the leader for removal and termination. I had been hearing rumblings for a solid year that he had this in mind for me. However, each time I asked him about it, he denied it. On November 7, I determined, once again (as in 1993), to give a powerful sermon, while visiting in Michigan, titled, “Eight Signs of a True Philadelphian.” Just as I understood what was at stake almost six years earlier in similar circumstances, I recognized what was likely to happen again if I were to give a sermon on that topic.

In this sermon, I forcefully stated that numerous false doctrines had entered GCG, and the problem was growing, but that Philadelphians are commanded by God to “hold that fast which you have.” Again, I saw that I had reached the same crossroads that I had faced at the end of 1992 and early 1993, and that I was in a Laodicean organization. The leader’s ambition had blinded him to the role in which God used Mr. Armstrong, and there would be no reconsideration on his part.

Just four days later (at a previously scheduled Council meeting), I was, quite literally, put on trial, lasting eight hours—all day!—because I would not compromise the doctrines that were being trampled by the leader. Of course, the usual charges of “sowing division and discord” were thrown at me, just as they had been when I was fired from the WCG. In a fascinating twist, with complications too numerous to relate, the GCG leader was himself fired (over unrelated matters) by the Board of Directors about ten days later. Approximately 80% of the Global Church of God followed him in establishing his new “Living” Church of God, believing him to be merely the victim of a rebellious conspiracy. And his growing list of now over fifty separate doctrinal errors remained largely but not entirely ignored until the beginning of 2005, when brethren finally began to leave him and his organization in large numbers.

This leader’s long-designated successor remained with the remnant of Global. I fervently hoped this man would set the church “back on track.” But, because of tremendous financial problems that ensued from the Global split, not only did things not get better doctrinally, but financial implosion eventually resulted. The previous leader had left the Church with massive debt and little chance of ever repaying it. (Almost ten months later, in September 1999, that previous Global leader’s direct assistant actually sued the Global Church of God out of existence. A very sad chapter was ended!)

The New (Post-Split) Global

By March of 1999, it became clear that certain GCG pastors, who were now more openly teaching mass heresy (now in the remnant of GCG), were not going to be reined in by the new leadership anymore than the previous leader would rein in himself. I stepped up my complaints to headquarters and the process of directly warning brethren that numerous false doctrines (large and small) were still growing like cancer within the Church. In early April, I was warned for the last time, now by this new leadership, to “go along and keep quiet”—in almost these exact words. Once again, I was told that I was “sowing division and discord.”

By late April, a particular pastor, actually an untrained local church elder who had been hired and promoted, brought formal “charges” against me before the Council of Elders. I was once again officially put on trial for another eight-hour period that spanned parts of two days. My “sentence,” among other things, was that I was cast from the Council, had my pastoral responsibilities reduced, was told to be quiet and go along and was ordered to apologize to the two worst outright heretics whose false teachings I had withstood.

These terms were impossible, and I told the Council that I would get back to them shortly before I “did” anything. I intended to respond in three days. The very next day, however, the Council carefully ambushed me by announcing throughout Global and on the Internet what they had done to me. I responded to these charges on my personal website on the Sabbath of May 1, after first notifying the GCG headquarters (as I had already intended to do) that I could not accept the terms of their sentence. I fully understood what this meant.

I was fired two days later, on May 3, 1999, after six years and two months in the Global Church of God!

A Realization Had Been Dawning

It was not until late March or early April of 1999 that it first occurred to me that not one senior minister (or organization) was remotely holding to all that the Church had been taught by Mr. Armstrong. This left me with two clear choices!

One: Seek to join some other organization, this time clearly knowing in advance that I must compromise to do this. Two: Like Mr. Armstrong, when he departed from the divided organizations that comprised Sardis, be willing to recognize that all of the groups had doctrinally drifted into Laodicea, and forsake all of them. I had come to realize that, collectively, they comprised the seventh, scattered, divided, dominant and final era of the Church—and I had to leave them all!

I remembered my promise to Mr. Armstrong—that I would not consciously teach doctrinal error under any circumstances. I determined that if I found that I had ever drifted into a departure from any part of the full truth of the Bible’s teachings that God gave us through Mr. Armstrong, that I would acknowledge it (publicly, if necessary) and return to the correct teaching immediately. I had no choice but to proceed forward alone, doing what Mr. Armstrong did, trying to restructure the Church after the pattern and teaching that we all understood. (No minister can start a “new” Church. Christ did that in A.D. 31.) I realized that all of the people who would hold to the Philadelphian condition—meaning those who would “anoint their eyes” as Christ commanded in Revelation 3:18—had to be slowly gathered by Him out of their co-mingled condition within the numerous groups that collectively form the seventh era.

For many reasons, I understood that it was ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE for Christ to gather all Philadelphians at the time of flight to the Place of Safety. (You may hear my vital sermon series on the “Body of Christ” to understand why this is true. You may also wish to read our extensive booklet God’s Promised Protection – Place of Safety or Secret Rapture? to recapture the fullness of what God promises to all true Philadelphians.)

So, The Restored Church of God is not a “new church.” It is the reorganization—the reconstitution—of the only Church that Jesus Christ founded, now almost 2,000 years ago. (You may read our booklet Where Is the True Church? and our book The History of the True Church – Where Is It Today?, as well as The Government of God – Understanding Offices and Duties, among over 200 other books, booklets, articles and Bible lessons, plus our three magazines, to learn more about us.)

Section I –

HOW THE SEDUCTION SUCCEEDED

The Worldwide Church of God had about 155,000 people in 1990 (151,601 attended the Feast that year). Over 120,000 appear to have been completely seduced and taken out of God’s Way. Of course, many thousands of these had never been converted. It is also true that almost all of the rest have been partially seduced. This is a truly staggering statement, but true nevertheless. Many will refuse to accept this and will ignore the facts. (The majority of those who left the truth will never be reached or helped by this book, or the rest of what we have written for those in the splinters.) The fact remains—it did happen! The question is not whether it happened, but, rather, how. The methods used in a mass seduction of this scope bear their own examination!

There were three great hallmarks of Herbert W. Armstrong’s teachings. First, he used plain, simple, truthful language. Second, he challenged people to accept no belief until they had seen it absolutely proven from their Bible. Third, he repeatedly emphasized obeying and holding to those proven beliefs, no matter what ANY man tried to teach otherwise. The WCG’s biggest and most profound change was the abandonment of these three great tools of learning, and the change in most people’s thinking to allow it.

In their place now stand three counterfeits—three classic hallmarks of false teaching! First is the use of confusing, complicated, deceptive double-talk. Second is the employment of psychological tricks to induce people to believe things that they have not seen proven. Third is the cult-like emphasis on going along with new, unproven beliefs out of the fear of Church government.

Before we are ready to study the changes themselves, we must examine how the three original hallmarks used by Mr. Armstrong were so successfully exchanged for their counterfeits. SECTION I gives an overview of these original three hallmarks of WCG teaching and their three cunning, serpentine substitutes.

METHOD ONE

Sound Teaching: Based on Plain Truth or Confusing Double-Talk?

OLD TEACHING:

“Immediately I set out to develop a distinct and effective style. It had to be fast-moving, vigorous, yet simple, interesting, making the message plain and UNDERSTANDABLE.”

“Some speakers and writers seem to think they impress their audiences or readers by their ability to use big words beyond the comprehension of the audience. Others succumb to the temptation to become too ‘scholarly,’ speaking over the minds of their hearers – but never plainly into their minds.”

“Plain Truth and Good News articles and the Correspondence Course lessons are INTERESTING – they SAY SOMETHING, and say it in a manner extremely easy to read!”

“In any event, this early training resulted in literally thousands of letters during recent years from radio listeners and readers of The Plain Truth, saying that the FACTS are being made more plain, more clear and understandable than they ever heard them before!”

“But there is another principle…even more important than any of these. That is to be honest – to stick to the TRUTH!”

Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstrong, Vol. 1, 1986, pp. 62, 66, 67

“Even at the beginning when Mr. Armstrong put me in charge of the Church’s publications, he insisted that all of the publications be of the highest quality to reflect God’s standards, and to sound with clarity long-hidden truths written simply and plainly. Never must anyone misunderstand God’s truth because of a poorly written article or sloppy design, he emphasized over and over again.”

D. Faulkner, “Editor in Chief Lives On Through Training of Staff,” WN, Feb. 10, 1986

“I have often been asked, ‘How was Mr. Armstrong received?’ For those who already had met him the reception was warm and affectionate. To those meeting him for the first time, they quickly saw him as a man of understanding and wisdom. As Mr. Armstrong would say, ‘It makes sense, and it is the only explanation that does.’”

Aaron Dean, “Inside Mr. Armstrong’s Travels,” WN, Feb. 10, 1986

“…the major part of [Mr. Armstrong’s] drive and energy came from his knowledge of the spiritual significance of his message. He had a burning desire to challenge and grip the listeners. He wanted to make the truth plain to them.”

N. Smith, “Evangelist Remembers Early Broadcasts,” WN, Feb. 10, 1986

“The Star-News published interviews with Church members after the funeral.”

“‘[One] church member said her most lasting memory of Armstrong is “his speaking ability, his teachings and his writings. He had a way of writing that anyone could understand, and he was a powerful speaker.”’”

Jeff Zhorne, “Media Mark Death of Herbert W. Armstrong,” WN, Feb. 10, 1986

“My life was affected for good from the very first time I heard Pastor General Herbert W. Armstrong on the radio in January, 1951. As the years passed it was affected more profoundly.”

“I thought he knew far more about his subject than anyone else I had heard. I soon concluded, ‘No man ever spoke like this man!’”

Leroy Neff, “HWA’s Favorite Subject: The Work of God,” WN, Feb. 10, 1986

“What Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong valued most, and what he labored hardest to build was his understanding.”

“He turned his energy and his formidable ability to concentrate on searching out the answers to some of life’s most important questions: Does God really exist? And if He does, what does He expect of us? What was His purpose in creating man?”

“Mr. Armstrong was not prepared to accept fuzzy and often muddled concepts that masquerade as answers to these questions. He wanted the truth.”

“Mystery of the Ages is the product of that understanding. Mr. Armstrong did not underestimate the importance of this last work, for it contained vital keys to understanding the plan of God as revealed in the Bible.”

Joseph W. Tkach, “He Remembered You,” PT, Nov.-Dec. 1986

NEW TEACHING:

“Some brethren feel that God’s Church is always changing. You know, they are right.”

“After a while, I realized the errors in the [Mystery of the Ages] could make the whole subject seem unreliable, and I had to do what I perhaps should have done to begin with.”

“When the book was finished, Mr. Armstrong made some very strong claims regarding the book.”

“He was human, and…he simply got carried away in his description of it.”

“So what was I to do? How could I before God continue to print the book, knowing it contains errors…?”

“Personal from Joseph W. Tkach,” WN, May 21, 1990

“double-talk 1: language that appears to be in earnest and meaningful but in fact is a mixture of sense and nonsense 2: inflated, involved, and often deliberately ambiguous language”

Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary (1976), p. 342

“We have found that we have used certain language in the past that didn’t really describe what we believed and we have attached our own internal meanings to them…And so we have, as a result of discussions with Dr. Tucker and other people, re-evaluated certain things.”

Michael Snyder, WMUZ radio interview, Detroit, Michigan, Dec. 13, 1991

“We frankly are troubled by what appears to be a double standard in the Worldwide Church of God material.”

McDowell and Stewart, The Deceivers: What Cults Believe/How They Lure Followers (1992), p. 286

“In a slightly different category is the teleological argument, also known as the argument from design. This argument claims, from an analysis of objects in the world, that there is evidence of design. Then it reasons that design demands a designer, defined to be God.”

“The central issue in the debate over the validity of the teleological argument is whether the universe shows evidence of design. If there is design, then the argument is valid. However, design would only prove the existence at some time in the past of a designer; it would not prove that this designer still exists or that the designer is the God of the Bible.”

God Is…(1992), p. 6

“The concept of conversion as a rebirth was common, and any Jewish leader would have understood.”

“The Talmud says, ‘A man who became a proselyte is like a child newly born.’”

“To interpret ‘born again’ as the resurrection would run counter to the commonly understood meaning of that concept. Why would Christ use that concept for something totally different from its known and accepted meaning?”

“For that matter, if a resurrection was meant, why not simply say resurrection? Why use a figure of speech at all? Christ used a figure of speech to convey the difficult and new concept of conversion. The resurrection was neither difficult nor new, and thus not in need of an illustrating figure of speech.”

B.W. Schnippert, “The Breathtaking Miracle of Being Born from Above,” WN, Feb. 3, 1992

“Someone might say, ‘I see the need to change when we’re wrong, Mr. Tkach, but if we thought we were right before, but now we see we’re wrong, how can we be sure we are right this time?’

“This is an important question. How can we be sure we are right this time?

“The answer to this question makes sense only if we walk in the humility of Jesus Christ. Since we look to God to lead and guide us, we must at all times remain willing to undertake even further change if and when we find that our understanding is still incomplete.

“Do we all understand the importance of that attitude?”

“Personal from Joseph W. Tkach,” WN, June 24, 1991

“Some may say, ‘Well, I guess we are saying we just don’t know what the Holy Spirit is.’ It is true that our present position is less explicit and dogmatic than the positions we have taken before. We feel we have erred in the past by being simplistic and superficial. We attempted to oversimplify the transcendence of God – a subject that does not have simple answers.

“The nature of the Holy Spirit is one of the most profound concepts within Scripture. As the booklet took pains to show, the Holy Spirit has been the subject of intense debate for nearly two millennia.”

Joseph Tkach Jr., “Church Administration,” PGR, Dec. 8, 1992

METHOD TWO

Accepting or Changing Belief: Based on Proof or Psychological Tricks?

OLD TEACHING:

“It is US Satan is seeking to deceive. He will deceive even the very elect IF POSSIBLE. And it is possible if we are careless, and assume things without careful study of all sides, and ample PROOF from the Scripture. We must be continually ON OUR GUARD never trusting any man, or even a board or group of men, but God alone, through His holy word!”

“The scriptures speak of FALSE apostles, and of ‘them which SAY they are apostles, and are not, but hast found them LIARS.’ (II Cor. 11:13; Rev. 2:2). Let us beware being deceived. It is the COMMANDMENT KEEPERS whom the Devil seeks, in these latter days, to deceive!”

Herbert W. Armstrong, “Did Christ Reorganize the Church?”, GN, Feb. 1939

“And just remember my friends, that your salvation doesn’t depend on some group or organization of men that may scoff. Your salvation is a private, personal thing between you and your God. And you’re going to be held accountable. So you look this over. And you look in your Bible and you believe what you find in your Bible.”

“Now I can’t accept error. I can’t just swallow every wind of doctrine that comes around. Well, neither should you, my friends! Now maybe I’m just giving you some new wind of doctrine…you shouldn’t swallow everything that comes along. But let me tell you, my friends, your eternity is at stake, and it’s a personal, private matter between you and God. And your Bible says many deceivers, many false prophets, are gone out into the world. And many of them are absolutely sincere.”

“You know, people that have ever tried to change me find that I don’t change easily or quickly, but my mind is open. But I need to be sure.”

“But of course you need to be very careful and your Bible says ‘PROVE ALL THINGS’ – don’t just carelessly accept something. Now this booklet…I’ve talked to you about, if it isn’t proved don’t accept it!”

“This whole world – human nature is good and evil mixed – and in this world you find truth and error mixed. And we have to get the truth and prove it, my friends! Prove all things and be careful.”

“Do you know how I studied this question originally?…I got down on my knees and I would read it awhile, and then I would close my eyes and pray to God about it, and ask, ‘Oh God, open my eyes, open my understanding. Help me not to be misled or deceived, but whatever is truth help me to see it and receive it.’ Why don’t you study it that way – with your Bible – and believe what you see in your Bible?”

Herbert W. Armstrong, “Proving the Truth,” WT Radio Broadcast, #9879

“Would you, had you lived there and then, have gone to the big religious organizations and asked whether Jesus spoke the truth?”

“Any who are teaching things different from CHRIST’S OWN GOSPEL…will naturally disagree, oppose this true message, probably accuse us, today, of being false prophets.

“They may even attempt to discredit – to impute evil and diabolical motives – to accuse of dishonesty – to try to assassinate character. Possibly they will malign, impugn, use every psychological trick to set up PREJUDICE, so that you won’t listen or check up, for yourself, in your own Bible!”

“BELIEVE GOD’S WORD, regardless of men.”

Herbert W. Armstrong, “If You Had Lived in the Time of Christ,” GN, Oct.-Nov. 1983

NEW TEACHING:

1. This change is not a change.

2. It’s a matter of semantics or re-wording.

3. It is only a clarification.

4. It is only a change in explanation not in doctrine.

5. It’s not a big change or the trunk of the tree.

6. Details will come later (but they don’t).

7. We must not major in the minors.

8. Mature Christians will see it (and no one wants to feel they’re immature).

9. We must grow in grace and knowledge or, translated, “change is growth. ”

10. We were trapped by a paradigm or this is a paradigm shift.

11. We are just putting the emphasis where it always should have been.

12. Be patient with the weaker brethren who can’t see it yet (which appeals to people’s nobler motives to accept the change).

13. They say nothing and just change it.

14. They cloak it so deep in the language of scholarship that no one recognizes a change was made.

15. “This change will not lead to that change” (known as the red herring tactic that diverts attention from the change being made).

16. The belief is still true poetically, or symbolically, or metaphorically, or analogically, or parabolically, or even “theologically,” just not literally.

17. We must have faith and courage to change when we’re wrong (and no one wants to appear to lack either one).

18. The change has nothing to do with salvation.

19. Most scholars agree the change is correct.

20. The change will help to avoid unnecessarily offending the world.

21. God is leading His Church to see these changes must be made.

22. The Holy Spirit is leading us to see these changes must be made.

23. This change is made by the authority of Jesus Christ.

24. Anyone who cannot accept the changes isn’t satisfied with the leadership God has provided for His Church.

25. This new interpretation is balanced.

26. They misrepresent old teachings to make them look ridiculous and then change them (known as building straw men to knock them down).

27. Anyone who resists these changes is “spiritually rich and increased with goods. ”

28. We have known for years that this change needed to be made.

29. We should not reject a point just because it is Protestant.

30. This change is not really Protestant (they point out a minor detail that is different).

31. There haven’t really been any changes (as they make another change).

32. There was an impure underlying motive for teaching this in the past so we aren’t going to teach it anymore.

33. A thorough investigation has been made.

34. Mr. Armstrong would have agreed with and made these changes himself.

35. Mr. Armstrong changed doctrine often and we must follow his example.

36. Mr. Armstrong once believed the doctrine this way.

37. Mr. Armstrong said privately before his death to make this change.

38. Mr. Armstrong had strong beliefs and sometimes exaggerated because of it.

39. Mr. Armstrong was not a scholar.

40. Mr. Armstrong always secretly believed this change.

41. Anyone who resists these changes is only interested in glorifying the memory of a man.

42. This change will not affect how we worship God.

43. A bitter, Satanic mind does not want to accept these new truths.

These gimmicks, ploys and psychological tricks are all still used, and even more effectively, throughout the “splinters.”

METHOD 3

Unconditional Obedience: To the Bible or to Church Government?

OLD TEACHING:

“The thing is, whoever is the Apostle, whoever is guiding and putting the truth into the Church must be honest with the Word of God! Now, if you ever find me dishonest with the Word of God you reject me as God’s Apostle.”

Herbert W. Armstrong, taped Bible study on II Cor. 2, Tucson, AZ, Dec. 6, 1980

“Messrs. Ray and Oberg immediately offered a resolution that I be required, if I remained in the conference, to baptize people their way instead of the Scriptural way…

“As soon as I heard of the action taken, I immediately wrote a letter canceling the $3 per week salary…”

“‘As for me and my house,’ I then said firmly, ‘we shall serve the Eternal our God, and Him ONLY shall we serve. If MEN pay us a salary – even as small as $3 per week – we have now learned we must preach only what MEN order us to preach. If we are to WORK FOR GOD we must look to God as our EMPLOYER, AND TRUST HIM TO SUPPLY OUR EVERY MATERIAL NEED.”

“This final crucial test had proved that I would be FAITHFUL to God and His Word, even at the cost of giving up everything!

“I know of evangelists who probably are sincere in supposing they are serving God – and who would like to be free to proclaim many truths they now hold back. They reason something like this: ‘If I go further, and preach those things, I’ll lose all my support. I’d be cut off from the ministry altogether. Then I could preach NOTHING. Better serve God by preaching as much of the Biblical truth as possible, than to be prevented from preaching anything.’

“They are relying on the financial support of MEN. Or of organizations of men. Anyone in that predicament is the SERVANT OF MEN, and NOT OF GOD, whether he realizes it or not.”

“Repentance means GIVING UP your way – the world’s way – the world’s opinion of you! It means turning to the WAY OF GOD – the way of His law! It means SURRENDER – unconditional surrender – to live by EVERY WORD OF GOD. Since the Bible is the Word of God, it means to live by the Bible! It means utter voluntary submission to the AUTHORITY of God, as expressed in HIS WORD!”

“It really did hurt Mrs. Armstrong and me, and all very loyal to God’s true Work, very deeply to see some we loved very much willing to be misled by greedy and self-willed little powerless preachers. But such is life, and such is this world!”

Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstrong, Vol. 1 (1986), pp. 524-525, 528, 597, 635

“Even in Paul’s day, many among those attending at Antioch, at Jerusalem, at Ephesus, at Corinth, and other places, began to apostatize and turn from the truth. Divisions sprang up. Those individuals unconverted or turned from God’s truth and way of life, were no part of God’s true Church, though visibly assembling with those who were. The ‘mystery of iniquity’ was already working inside these visible churches. This apostasy increased! By the year A.D. 125 the majority in most churches, especially those Gentile-born, were continuing in many of their old pagan beliefs and practices, though professing to be Christians! Gradually, a smaller and smaller portion of the visible churches…remained truly yielded to God and His truth, and led of His Spirit. After Constantine took virtual control of the visible, professing Church in the early fourth century, this visible organization became almost wholly pagan, and began excommunicating and persecuting all who held to the true Word of God!

Finally, it became necessary for real Christians, who, even as scattered people, alone composed the true Christian Church, to flee from the jurisdiction of Rome in order truly to worship God!”

Herbert W. Armstrong, The Plain Truth About Easter (1973), pp. 15-16

“So, as the first step in this test, I wrote up an exposition of some 16 typewritten pages proving clearly, plainly, and beyond contradiction that a certain minor point of doctrine proclaimed by this Church, based on an erroneous interpretation of a certain verse of Scripture, was in error.”

“The answer came back from their head man, editor of their paper and president of their ‘General Conference.’ He was forced to admit, in plain words, that their teaching on this point was false and in error. But, he explained, he feared that if any attempt was made to correct this false doctrine and publicly confess the truth, many of their members, especially those of older standing and heavy tithe payers, would be unable to accept it. He feared they would lose confidence in the Church if they found it had been in error on any point. He said he feared many would withdraw their financial support, and it might divide the Church. And therefore he felt the Church could do nothing but continue to teach and preach this doctrine which he admitted in writing to be false.

“Naturally, this shook my confidence considerably. This Church leader, if not the church itself, was looking to people as the SOURCE of belief, instead of to God!”

Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstrong, Vol. 1 (1986), pp. 360-361

“I asked him WHY the Quakers did not believe in water baptism.”

“‘Well, Herbert,’ he said finally, ‘I’ll have to confess I can’t honestly justify our church position by the Bible. This very thing bothered me a great deal when I first felt called into the ministry. At first, I felt I could not consistently become a minister in the Friends Church because this stand on water baptism really bothered me. But then, I looked at some of the great preachers of the church (naming several, including my own great-uncle Thomas Armstrong), and they all seemed to be holy men of God. And so I decided that if such great and holy men could preach against water baptism, so could I.’

“Here was a man who looked into the WORD OF GOD, and saw one thing. Then he LOOKED TO MEN, who appeared to be righteous and holy, and he followed the example of MEN instead of the teachings of God!”

“This was only the start of my disillusionment about preachers. I had to…trust only God, but to have love and charity for all men.”

Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstrong, Vol. 1 (1967), pp. 303-305

“These CHIEF ministers of the BIG established and reputed denominations said Jesus, the very Christ, was a false prophet.”

“NOWHERE does your Bible tell you to RELY on MEN. Don’t go to MEN to learn whether we preach the TRUTH!”

“BELIEVE YOUR BIBLE! BELIEVE GOD, not man!”

Herbert W. Armstrong, “If You Had Lived in the Time of Christ,” GN, Oct.-Nov. 1983

“One young man had made quite a splash in the ministry. He started out accepting the sponsorship and backing of human religious organizations. To be free of narrow sectarian bias he reasoned he should remain interdenominational. But this did not increase freedom to declare God’s TRUTH, but, on the contrary, further restricted it! He soon found that he was limited, in what he was free to preach, to those few doctrines which all of these sponsoring, but differing, denominations approved.

“God has shown me that when a man sets out to answer God’s call to serve HIM, he must rely on God alone. If he relies on MEN, he must serve MEN – not God.”

Herbert W. Armstrong, “Why This Work Is Unique,” GN, Dec. 1984

“Jesus said that His Church would be persecuted. Why? Because His Church is composed of those that have forsaken their own ideas and the customs and the ways of society, and they’re living by every word of God. They’re the people who look on the Bible with respect and with awe and as the supreme authority and who recognize the authority of the word of God, who look upon God as the Supreme Authority.

“What do most people do? Well, they look on their own conscience as their authority, or they look on the proclamations of men or the decisions of their church board. They say, ‘Well now, our Church looks at it like this…’ And the person who says that usually had no voice in the matter. That’s what the committee at the top decided the Church would believe.

“And all of them, you know, well they’re just like little children that had funnels stuck in their head and the committee at the top of the church decides what the church is going to believe, and that’s their ready-made propaganda or their doctrine, and they go pouring it out a pitcher down the funnel into the brains of these people and they say, ‘Now this is the way our church believes on this. And so and so is the way some other church believes on it.’

“Now the real people of God have forsaken all of that sort of thing and they look on God as the Supreme Authority. And how do you know what God says? Why, the Bible is His Word. And that makes the Bible a Supreme Authority. And it is the authority over their lives and they obey it and they tremble before the Word of God.”

Herbert W. Armstrong, “True Church,” WT Radio Broadcast, #9797

“It was but natural to look upon the man whose prayer God had so miraculously answered in healing my wife as a ‘man of God.’ So even though I felt sure this truth was proved, I wanted to be doubly sure.”

“‘Well, did you [and your pastor] find any error in what I wrote?’ I persisted.

“‘Well, no, Brother,’ he admitted, ‘we couldn’t find anything wrong with it. It does seem to be according to the Scriptures, but Brother, we feel that studying into that kind of subject is likely to be dangerous. It might get you all mixed up…It’s best just to keep your mind on Christ.’

“‘But,’ I rejoined, suddenly disillusioned, ‘if the resurrection was on the Sabbath, and not on Sunday, the only reason anyone has for Sunday observance is gone…’

“‘Well, now, Brother,’ he tried to reassure me, ‘that’s just the trouble. You see how it could get you all upset. All the churches observe Sunday. We can’t start to fight all the churches. Now we are saved by GRACE, not works…Better just get your mind off of such things.’

“I walked back to our home…grieved and sorrowfully disillusioned. I had had a lot of confidence in this man. Now here he was…advising a newly converted man who had confidence in him to reject THE WORD OF GOD!

“Arriving home, I happened to turn to Hosea 4:6, where God says that because we have rejected His knowledge, He will reject us.”

“God used this man no more.”

Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstrong, Vol. 1 (1967) pp. 327-329

“…inferiority manifests itself in a desire to belong to a group, club, society, church, group, organization to which one belongs. One would fear to be disloyal, lest the others in this factional group consider him as a traitor…”

“Yes, it is human to fear the society to which we have become attached in the way that we should fear the Creator God!”

Herbert W. Armstrong, “Why God Is Not Real to Most People,” Reprint Article #186

“Christians must be alert to the prophecy that even from among their leaders some would arise speaking perverse things – twisting God’s Word (Acts 20:29-31).”

“So respect and obey God’s true ministers, but constantly study to acquire the mind of Christ (Phil. 2:5) and to perceive a deceiver who might arise.”

“And even then, if there is ever a case when you have a real conviction that one of God’s ministers is teaching something contrary to His will, you ought to ‘obey God rather than men’ (Acts 5:29).”

“In all matters, then, it’s God’s opinion that really counts! He is the final authority!”

Roderick C. Meredith, “The Final Authority,” GN, June-July 1979

NEW TEACHING:

“The truth is, God places no human under the unconditional authority of another human.”

“Was [Abigail] disrespectful to her husband because she did not sit still while he caused himself and his family to be destroyed? Hardly. She was responsible and faithful even though Nabal was a fool and she had to act contrary to his desires.”

“The same principle applies in a local congregation…we must in all due respect and without resentment refuse to disobey God whether or not the government over us demands it.”

“Personal from Joseph W. Tkach,” WN, June 27, 1988

“People who decide to leave the Church because they have not come to understand changes in the doctrine should not be treated as enemies.”

“If they choose to go someplace where they can be with people who believe as they do on their points of difference, that is up to them, and that does not make them our enemies.”

“Mr. Armstrong set the example in that way decades ago when he continued to have a friendly relationship with the Church of God (Seventh Day).

“There were instances when our members even attended congregations of that church when there was not one of our congregations available.”

“If their motivation is selfish, that is, if they are seeking status and recognition, regardless of where they decide to attend they will still have to deal with that selfishness before they can have a positive relationship with God – before their increased level of service will be meaningful.”

“Personal from Joseph W. Tkach,” WN, Nov. 17, 1992

Response to questions WCG received regarding the above quoted “Personal”:

“We know we are the true Church of God. But we also know that we are not all there is to the true Church of God. The definition of a Christian is one in whom the spirit of God dwells.”

“Did the article imply that disfellowshipped people can go attend some other church and still maintain their relationship with God?”

“We must understand that this is not always a question we can answer in every case…We do not need to make judgments about their relationship with God. The Church does not have power over a person’s access to God.”

Computer Memo: Worldwide Church of God ministry

Section II –

WHY SO MANY CHANGES ARE INCLUDED

By the time I wrote the appendix to the Seventh Edition of this book (June 1995), the list of doctrinal changes included had reached 280. There were over 25 other false doctrines that I decided to omit because everything in life has a limit. Although other changes have been made in the years since, I had to ask: What would be gained by making more editions—at great time and expense—to a book already proving overwhelmingly that an apostasy had occurred? At what point is enough, enough? Sufficient evidence had been presented to readers to convince even the most ardent “doubting Thomas”—if one had even a slightly open mind.

However, over time, various critics arose who at least generally agreed with the book. But they had different ideas about what it should contain, how long or short it should be, which might be the best quotes to prove this or that point, etc. Eventually, decisions had to be made about what to include, and someone had to make them.

The “buck stops here,” with me.

Some have suggested that certain changes included here are picky or trivial. I disagree. But, if this were true, the problem would have been identifying those of which it may have been true. Removing them or categorizing them as “less significant changes” is fraught with problems. In effect, I would be assigning God’s truth a value, and would receive two-sided criticism. On the one hand, some might say, “I think such-and-such change should have been included among the more trivial changes.” On the other hand, others might say, “How could you put change such-and-so among the smaller, more trivial ones? It’s big.” Experience has shown that no two people agree on what is “picky” or what is “big.” You are left to decide which are smaller and which are bigger.

The WCG defended “small” changes in the following way: “When we find that we’ve been wrong, regardless of how small the point may be…we have an obligation before God to change it” (Personal from Joseph W. Tkach, WN, June 24, 1991).

Therefore, if an idea was considered important enough to teach in the first place, and considered important enough to change later, I felt it was important enough to acknowledge here. Also, the WCG said that it felt dutybound to change any doctrine it felt was wrong “no matter how significant or insignificant it might seem to be” (Joseph W. Tkach, WN, Nov. 17, 1992). Should I have been less thorough in detailing and preserving God’s truth than they were in erasing it?

I have also noticed that those who feel certain changes are minor or insignificant, invariably agree with some of the changes and/or want to make their own changes! This should not be lost in your thinking.

Some have asked about the publication Reviews You Can Use, quoted often in this book. At the time of this writing, Reviews You Can Use was a bi-monthly publication of the WCG that was only sent to the ministry. An article titled “How Authoritative is Reviews?” by Ralph Orr, in the March-April 1994 issue, describes its purpose in this way: “We edit Reviews with the ministry in mind. They should feel free to use anything in Reviews that will help their ministry. Care is taken to assure that each article is in general biblically sound and supports the Church’s doctrines, positions and policies…Reviews is written with the ministry in mind. They should feel free to use it with confidence.”

For those who are interested, the quotes are taken from the letters to the ministry in the Pastor General’s Report (PGR) but are also found in The Worldwide News (WN). These same letters appeared in the WN as “Personals,” generally about two weeks after the date of the PGR.

Occasional confusion has arisen over page numbers found in the literature references that follow each quote in the book. If you cannot find a quote on the given page number in the literature you have, look a few pages backward or forward. You probably have a different printing of the book or booklet than the one quoted. Even though the copyright dates may have remained the same, the layout of books often changed from printing to printing, shifting the text.

Following the summary list of 280 doctrinal changes is a “Topical Index of Changes” to assist in finding specific changes more quickly. Note that some are listed under more than one heading.