| "One original Church, much persecuted
and opposed, but still in existence, has these evidences [proper name and
true gospel] proving it to be the original true Church. And even this Church,
until after the year of 1933, had lost many vital truths. At least 18 basic
and essential truths have been restored to the true Church since that year."
- Herbert W. Armstrong, Mystery of the Ages, p. 251 (hardcover edition) |
The following introduction to
"The Editorial Services staff has compiled here, for the first time
in any of the Church's publications, 18 essential, basic truths that God
restored to His Church through our late Pastor General Herbert W. Armstrong.
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1. The Government of God."When Christ comes, He will restore God's government to the whole earth. So you can be sure the one to come in the spirit and power of Elijah would restore God's government in His Church. When Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong came among the Oregon Conference era of the Church of God (Seventh Day), the church had the right name, the law, the Sabbath and the tithing system. But they also had a government of men, with a biannual conference, voting just like they do in the world. "Today, the government of God has been restored to His Church."
2. The Gospel of the Kingdom of God.". . .has been restored after 1,900 years."(WORLDWIDE NEWS article) Mr. Armstrong often said that the True Gospel was given to The
Church which started at Pentecost 31 AD. That Gospel then began to be changed
into a false gospel by the end of the 1st century. He said that God restored
that True Gospel exactly 19 centuries later when he was ordained a minister
in 1931 AD, on or near Pentecost.
3. The Purpose of God.". . .that we are to be born of God and become God. God is reproducing Himself, and no other church on earth knows that or preaches it. As a counterfeit they talk about being already born again."(WORLDWIDE NEWS article) Mr. Armstrong was right. What other church on earth has taught
that God is a Divine Family and the plan of God is to reproduce Himself
through Divine Children, Christ being the first? Absolutely none! Mr. Armstrong
taught that Satan hates this, because it means humans will become God,
and has deceived the whole world into believing that God is a closed trinity.
4. Who and What is God."Traditional Christianity believes in the trinity, that the Holy Spirit is a person. God is neither one person nor a trinity. God is a family ."(WORLDWIDE NEWS article) Mr. Armstrong taught that God is a Divine Family. God is the Father
who begets us to ultimately be born into that Divine Family-- just as Jesus
Christ was the declared to be "the Son of God . . . by the resurrection
from the dead' (Rom. 1:4) and is the "firstborn among many brethren" (Rom.
8:29).
5. What is man?Herbert W. Armstrong would often ask the challenging questions: "Why are you here? What is the purpose of human existence?" He alone clearly saw why human kind was placed on this earth. Traditional Christianity has never understood this, and God's Church overall, did not even understand.
6. The Human Spirit in Man.Mr. Armstrong came to see that there is a "spirit in man" (Job 32:8), not an immortal soul, but a human spirit which is beyond the physical brain and elevates man far above animals. This spirit needs to be united with the Spirit of God. That human spirit returns to God after death (Eccl. 12:7). The Church of God never understood this until Mr. Armstrong.
7. The Church of God is Only the Firstfruits.Mr. Armstrong taught that God is not trying to save the world now. This set him at odds against traditional Christianity which thinks that God is trying desperately to save as many as possible. The Church of God lost sight of this over the centuries until it was clearly restored. What is taken for granted by God's Church today, only came through Mr. Armstrong.
8. The Church is Not Yet the Kingdom of God.The false gospel taught that the church on earth is the Kingdom of God. Mr. Armstrong clearly saw that the coming literal Kingdom of God is the message Christ brought from The Father, and that the Church of God today is only the embryo of that Kingdom.
9. Only Those Whom God the Father Calls and Draws to Him Can Be Converted Now."No other church knows that or believes it. That's another truth restored to the Church through Mr. Armstrong. None of us had ever heard that before, except as we got it through Mr. Armstrong. Only those God chooses and calls now can come in and become part of the firstfruits. Satan has deceived the whole world, and the Church is called out of that world"(WORLDWIDE NEWS article).
10. The Resurrection to Judgment.This is when God will "save the world". Herbert W. Armstrong clearly saw that there are three resurrections mentioned in scripture. The Great White Throne Judgment is the time when all who have ever lived will be given the opportunity to become members of the God Family, just as the Church is given the opportunity in advance.
11. The Millennium.The Church of God in the 1930s knew that Christ would be returning to set up His Kingdom, but little about what that Millennium would be like. The Government of God will be restored over the whole earth and the Tree of Life would be open to all for the first time since the time of Adam. The firstfruits will reign with Christ as kings and priests--teachers and rulers.
12. The Holy Spirit Coming Into Us Only Begets Us.The Bible is a coded book, said Mr. Armstrong, which can only be unlocked by the Spirit of God. We can only come to really know God through the Holy Spirit, and we must grow in character and understanding after this begettal until our birth into the Family of God.
13. We Are Only Begotten Now, Not Born Again.We are not yet heirs, only inheritors (Rom. 8:17). The Holy Spirit only begets us and we are not yet born into that Family. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom (John 3:5-6).
14. The Identity of Modern Israel.God's Church in the 1930s officially rejected this truth, when Mr. Armstrong brought it to the leadership's attention. Again today it is being rejected. Mr. Armstrong clearly saw from the Bible that the descendants of Israel were to receive the birthright promises, and the English-speaking peoples are the descendants of Joseph's two sons.
15. Prophesy Can Only Be Understood if You Know Who Are the Israelites Today.Mr. Armstrong had a clear picture of which prophesies apply to us today, since he saw clearly who the descendants of Israel are. As well as proclaiming the Gospel, he preached the Ezekiel warning (Ez. 33), which was meant for the descendants of Israel at the end time. The Great Tribulation will be the time of "Jacob's trouble" (Jer. 30:7). Those who are following in the footsteps of Mr. Armstrong today are also preaching the Gospel and giving the Ezekiel warning.
16. The Annual Holy Days.What other church prior to Mr. Armstrong understood the annual Feast Days, much less kept them? The plan of God as shown through the Holy Days were revealed to the Church of God only through Herbert W. Armstrong. He and Loma kept them alone for 7 years because they saw it was commanded. It wasn't until after 14 years that the actual meaning of the days were understood by him. The Holy Days picture God's plan for mankind depicted through seven major events. One of the greatest blessings ever to come on God's Church was the knowledge of His Holy Days. All those who keep the Feast Days today, do so because God revealed it through His servant Herbert W. Armstrong.
17. The Authority of the Sacred Calendar.The Church of God in the 1930s was confused as to when the year should begin. People are still confused today over the calendar. Mr. Armstrong saw the importance of the Jews' preservation of the weekly and yearly calendar.
18. Second and Third Tithe.The Church of God understood first tithe, but until Mr. Armstrong, the Church did not understand that a festival tithe had to be kept since they didn't keep the Holy Days to begin with. Mr. Armstrong also saw that God provided for the needy within the Church by a third tithe. No other church had this knowledge.
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This WORLDWIDE NEWS article had an accompanying picture
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"In the early 1930s, God began to use the Armstrongs to restore 18 essential truths to His Church. Could we, today, lose sight of them?" |
The article began: |
"How much do you value God's truth?" |
The article concluded: |
"Where would we be without these truths? Without them -- without Herbert W. Armstrong's legacy of these 18 restored truths -- there isn't much left." |