The End-time, “STRONG-ARMED” “Elijah”—
“…And They Knew Him Not!”
Christ’s above-quoted words refer to the “Second Elijah”—John the Baptist! Could
Christ’s words also equally apply to the End-time “Elijah”? Was Herbert W.
ARMSTRONG God’s end-time, “STRONG-ARMED” prophet?
by Raymond F. McNair
Here is a summary of a few of the main points made in my previous article in the June 2004 issue of The Journal: God’s Word reveals that He would send three uniquely different “ELIJAHS” to do an important work “before the great and dreadful Day of the LORD” (Mal. 4:5-6).
In that article (Was Mr. Armstrong Who He said He Was?), I proved from Mr. Armstrong’s own written words that he definitely believed and taught that God had commissioned him to fulfill the end-time Elijah prophesies of Malachi 4:5-6 and Matthew 17:11. Furthermore, I clearly demonstrated the falsity of the claim, made by some, that shortly before his demise, Mr. Armstrong repudiated his oft-stated claim that God had chosen him to fulfill the important prophecies concerning the coming of “Elijah” at the end of this age, prior to Christ’s Second Coming.
Further, I explained that, long ago, God had preordained that He would send “three Elijah’s to carry out specific God-ordained missions, in their respective ages:
1) The first Elijah—“Elijah the Tishbite”—turned the Baal-worshipping nation of Israel back to the worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (1 Kings 17 & 18).
2) The second “Elijah,” John the Baptist, who came “in the spirit and power of ELIAS,” was ordained by God to “make READY a people prepared for the Lord [at Christ’s First Coming]” (Luke 1:13-17). John’s very brief ministry lasted “about a year and a half” (Halley’s Bible Handbook, p. 49). But unlike the Prophet Elijah, “John [the Baptist] did no miracle” (Jo.10:41). And John’s rather short-lived ministry occurred on a rather small scale, in the comparatively small land of Judea; and he baptized, at the very most, a few tens of thousands!
3) After Jesus Christ twice affirmed that “John the Baptist” was, indeed, “Elijah” (Matt. 11:14, 17:12-13), He then prophesied that God would yet send a third “Elijah” before His Second Coming: “ELIJAH truly shall first come, and RESTORE ALL THINGS” (v. 11)! Jesus’ prediction of a future end-time “Elijah” was made after John had been beheaded by wicked King Herod (Matt. 14:1-12). Christ’s startling prediction that a future “Elijah” would appear on the world scene, pointed back to Malachi’s ancient prophecy: “Behold, I will send you ELIJAH the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he shall turn the…fathers to the children, and…the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a CURSE [‘utter destruction’]” (Mal. 4:5-6).
In my article in the June issue of The Journal—we examined three different views of the end-time fulfillment of the “Elijah” prophecies found in Malachi 4:5-6 and Matthew 17:11: Firstly, some members of the “Churches of God” believe the end-time “Elijah” is yet to come. Secondly, others believe the prophesied “Elijah” has already come in the person of Herbert W. Armstrong. Thirdly, a number of people (including some Jews) believe the same “Old Testament” Elijah, who “went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:11), will someday return to this earth. Generally speaking, however, brethren in the Churches of God believe the end-time “Elijah” will not be the same fiery Prophet Elijah who worked mighty, spectacular miracles in ancient Israel.
Three Important Missions of
“THREE ELIJAHS”
As mentioned in my June 2004 article, no one has yet produced a written statement or document, by Mr. Armstrong, that said he ever abandoned his previous view, which he believed clearly showed that his fruits demonstrate God had used him to fulfill the prophecies concerning the end-time “Elijah” as revealed in Malachi 4:5-6 and Matthew 17:11. Neither has anyone yet produced any credible eye-witnesses to testify that Mr. Armstrong definitely renounced his view of himself as the “end-time Elijah.” And no one has claimed that he made a “bedside confession,” just before his death, in which he supposedly disavowed his former belief that he was the end-time Elijah.
Few who really knew Mr. Armstrong would deny that there was a possibility, or even a probability, that Mr. Armstrong may have occasionally had doubts regarding his role as the end-time “Elijah.” However, John the Baptist later also doubted whether the One whom he had previously called the “Lamb of God” (John 1:19-34), was, in fact, the prophesied Messiah, saying: “Art thou He that should come? Or look we for another” (Luke 7:19?
Likewise, it is possible, if not probable, that Mr. Armstrong, with normal human feelings, may also have had some doubts from time to time. But this does not mean that he accepted those “doubts,” and definitely concluded he had been wrong in thinking and teaching the brethren in the WCG, that God had chosen him to fulfill the prophecies concerning the end-time “Elijah”!
Many Bible readers have overlooked the fact that, long ago God ordained there would be three Elijahs: 1) The original Elijah “Elijah the Tishbite” (1 Kings 17:1), who is mentioned many times in the O.T. scriptures, especially in I and II Kings. 2) Jesus said that John the Baptist, who came in the “spirit and power of Elijah,” was the prophesied “Elijah” (Matt. 17:10-13), preparing the way before Christ’s Second Coming. 3) Christ also said that a future, end-time Elijah would “truly…first come, and RESTORE all things (v. 11). Let us briefly look at the work of the three “Elijah’s” to see what each one was commissioned by God to do. We shall then be better able to judge whether or not Mr. Armstrong was really who he said he was—the end-time “Elijah”!
The Original “Elijah”
The FIRST “ELIJAH—“ELIJAH THE TISHBITE” Not much is known of the original Elijah’s lineage or his background. He appears suddenly, works a number of mighty miracles, warns various kings, anoints a successor and then disappears from Bible history as suddenly as he had first appeared (1 Kings, chapters 17 through 21 & 2 Kings, chapters 1 and 2). After his disappearance, the second Book of Chronicles mentions that he had written a letter warning Israel’s wicked king Jehoram (21:12-20). The Bible records only eight miracles performed by the First “Elijah,” whereas his anointed successor, Elisha, wrought 15 or 16 miracles. But what about the Second “Elijah,” John the Baptist? Would he, like Elijah of old, perform many spectacular miracles? No, for we are told that “John did no miracle” (John 10:41)
The most memorable event in the Prophet Elijah’s interesting life was his dramatic confrontation/showdown with 450 of the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 17:22). He told the idol-worshipping Israelites, “How long halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him” (18:21). Then, in a dramatic, awe-inspiring show of power, Elijah called down fire from heaven, and afterward commanded, “Take the prophets of Baal: let not one of them escape. And they took them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there” (vv. 17-40). Clearly, God used both of Elijah’s preaching and his miracles to “turn the hearts” of the Israelites back again unto the LORD. He preached repentance, and taught the laws and ways of God to the peoples of apostate Israel.
John—A Truly “GREAT” Prophet!
The SECOND “ELIJAH”—JOHN THE BAPTIST In New Testament times, God called and trained a unique man, John the Baptizer, to preach repentance, and to turn many away from their false religions, and back to the true God of Abraham: “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand…. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins…. [John then told them] Bring forth therefore fruits meet for [proving] repentance” (Matt. 3:1-8). John also baptized Jesus (vv. 13-16).
What kind of a man was John? He lived as a Nazarite, eating and drinking only those foods permitted the Nazarites, and never cut his hair (Num. 6:1-21; Luke 1:15): “For he [John] shall be GREAT in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink…. And many of the children of Israel shall he TURN to the Lord their God. And he shall go before Him [Christ] in the spirit and power of ELIAS, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to MAKE READY a people prepared for the Lord” (vv. 15-17).
Jesus Christ said this to His disciples concerning John the Baptist: “But what went ye out for to see? A PROPHET? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send My messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. For I say unto you…there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist” (Luke 7:26-27). (Interestingly, John performed no miracles, and, though “a prophet” he relied on the words of His father, Zacharias, which he had received from an angel before John was born (Luke 1:5-18); and so far as we know, he did not utter even one prophecy, in the classic sense of that word.
God’s Word reveals that John was a great preacher, and did turn many back to God. Clearly, his mission was to turn many from their sins, and to prepare a people, making them ready to receive Christ’s Gospel message at His First Coming: “And he [John] came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; As it is written in the book of…Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of ONE crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight…. Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him…. Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance…” (Luke 3:3-8).
What did Christ think concerning John? Jesus said of John the Baptist, the “second Elijah,” “He was a bright and shining LIGHT” (John 5:33-35). John prepared the way before Christ at His First Coming, but the Scriptures also reveal that a great prophet, who was to precede Christ’s Second Coming, would do a similar work at the end of this evil age.
Even though John was a prophet, and preached inspired sermons, he was not a prophet in the classic sense of having visions and dreams. There is no record of him ever having given any prophecies of the future, as prophets usually do. And neither would the end-time “Elijah,” “Mr. Armstrong” be a prophet in the usual sense of the word. But it is true that he was given unusual understanding in the prophecies of the Bible, and he was certainly an “inspired preacher,” as also was John the Baptist. But great as he was, “John did no miracle”—not one miracle! Yet “Elijah the Tishbite” performed numerous spectacular miracles.
How long did John’s ministry last? “Assuming that John began his ministry shortly before he baptized Jesus, it lasted about a year and a half” (Halley’s Bible Handbook, p. 497). And how many did John baptize? The Bible says that “ALL the land of Judea” went out to John, and “ALL [were] baptized by him…confessing their sins” (Mark 1:5). But the Bible often uses “all” in a non-inclusive sense. If we study the Scriptures carefully, we will see that they indicate there were only a few tens of thousands at most who were baptized by John during his short ministry.
Josephus says “Judea” contained just a few million inhabitants at most. So, “all” does not mean that millions were baptized. Rather, it indicates that people from “all” areas of Judea is meant by “all the LAND of Judea”—not “all the PEOPLE of Judea!”
John’s short ministry of about a year and a half ended just before Christ’s ministry began: “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God. And saying… repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:14-15). And we are told that “Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John…” (John 4:1-2).
Although John was “GREAT” in God’s sight, Jesus told the Jews, “Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth…. He was a burning and a SHINING LIGHT, and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light” (John 5:33-34). In what way was John “GREAT”—as well as a “BURNING and SHINING LIGHT”? His powerful preaching enlightened many people to the Truths of God—as then revealed, before Christ preached His New Testament “Gospel” (Mark 1:14). However, remember that, during John’s year-and-a-half ministry, he only baptized a few tens of thousands at most.
Mr. Armstrong—the End-time “Elijah”?
The THIRD “ELIJAH”—HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG? How does John’s rather short ministry compare with Mr. Armstrong’s, whose ministry lasted 52 years and reached scores of millions (mainly modern-day Israelites), and did he do A MIGHTY WORK by anyone’s standard? In fact, Mr. Armstrong probably preached the true Word of God to more people during his ministry than all prophets and apostles, from the days of “righteous Abel” until the time of his death in 1986!
How was that made possible? God put at his disposal the powerful means of mass communication of God’s Word via modern printing presses, radio, television, telephone, the computer, Internet, etc. In addition he used various forms of rapid transportation by plane, train, car, fast ships, etc.—thus enabling him to reach countless millions. Would God’s end-time servant and Apostle, who did such a mighty work, not even be mentioned in Bible prophecy?
We have seen that Jesus called John the Baptist “GREAT,” and also said he was a “BRIGHT and SHINING LIGHT.” And was it not also true that Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong was “GREAT” in God’s sight, and a “bright and SHINING LIGHT” to a dark world in his time? Due partly to the marvels of modern technology—radio, TV, computers, printing, etc.—Mr. Armstrong reached an estimated 60 to 80 million during his 52-year ministry; whereas, John the Baptist, at most, probably never spoke to more than a few tens of thousands, some of whom he baptized in the Jordan River!
What did Mr. Armstrong “RESTORE?
Jesus said the final end-time Elijah would “RESTORE ALL THINGS.” What did Jesus mean by that? The Apostle Peter tells us that after Christ’s Second Coming, there will come the “times of refreshing… [also called] the times of RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS” (Acts 3:19-21). So the end-time Elijah will restore “all things,” but the word “all” in Matthew 17 cannot be all-inclusive as it is here in Acts 3:21! If the end-time Elijah will “restore all things” in the all-inclusive sense of those words, then how could Jesus bring about the “restoration of all things” (v. 21).
What, then, did Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong restore? Immediately after his death in January 1986, Mr. Armstrong’s successor and his staff lauded the great accomplishments of Mr. Armstrong, acknowledging that God had used him to RESTORE many marvelous truths: WCG’s Worldwide News of August 8, 1986, published a front-page article titled, “GOD RESTORED THESE 18 TRUTHS: How Thankful Are You for Them?” That article stated: “Shortly before the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord, SOMEONE would come in the spirit and the power of ELIJAH…and would RESTORE ALL THINGS to the Church. Though Mr. Armstrong didn’t know it at the time God began to call him, God had a lifelong job for him: to RESTORE to His Church truth that the centuries had dimmed…. Without Herbert W. Armstrong’s legacy of these 18 RESTORED TRUTHS—there isn’t much left.” Sadly, later, Mr. Armstrong’s successor and a number of the leading men working with him at Headquarters changed their doctrinal position and denied Mr. Armstrong’s claim to be the “end-time Elijah”! They also repudiated many of the major biblical beliefs he had faithfully taught God’s people!
How Did Mr. Armstrong Become so
“Widely Known”?
In recent years, some people (Unfortunantly, this includes some COG ministers!) have minimized the scope and worldwide impact of the Work which God did through Mr. Armstrong and his co-workers. They not only minimize his impact on the world, but also claim that not many persons living today even know who Mr. Armstrong was, or what he did. They are seemingly ignorant of the fact that Mr. Armstrong’s many written works (books, booklets, magazines, articles, letters, etc.) are now accessible on numerous Websites on the Internet, and can be read by literally millions all over the world! And we must not forget that 12 to 15 million copies of his free book/booklet (The U.S. & Britain in Prophecy) were mailed out to the English-speaking world. Assuming that on average, two persons read each booklet, this would mean that between 24 to 30 million people have read this important booklet—which is still available on the Internet! That powerful booklet revealed to multiple millions the national identities of peoples of Northwest Europe (including Britain), America-Canada, Australia , New Zealand, etc.!
The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions states, “[Herbert W.] Armstrong began as a preacher on radio in the USA in the1930s, and became widely known through the radio programme ‘The World Tomorrow’ (Armstrong, Herbert W., 1997, p. 90). Ruth Tucker, writing in Christianity Today, July 15, 1966, said: “Herbert W. Armstrong was a well-known figure in religious circles for most of half a century. It was hard to find anyone who had not seen an issue of The Plain Truth magazine or heard The World Tomorrow radio and television broadcasts." Referring to the wide-ranging changes in doctrines by the leaders of the WCG who succeeded Mr. Armstrong, she stated, “Never before in the history of Christianity has there been such a complete move to orthodox Christianity by an unorthodox fringe church” (ibid.)
Mr. Armstrong started out in 1931 with only 19 people. During the next 50 years he trained thousands of ministers, teachers, office personnel, etc. to serve in the Work of God. Literally hundreds of congregations were raised up all over this globe. Those churches, with a membership of over 130,000 brethren were served by over 1,500 ministers. An estimated 125,000 or more were baptized and brought into the “Church” under Mr. Armstrong’s ministry. While Mr. Armstrong was alive, the ministers and brethren were urged to faithfully teach and practice God’s Word, including the necessity to keep His Ten Commandments, along with God’s weekly and annual Sabbaths, etc.
Mr. Armstrong’s powerful “Media Blitz” Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong (“Herbert” means “Strong Warrior”), as a young man, gained valuable training in advertising, and knew well the importance of using the media effectively to move people into a course of action—including how to effectively communicate Christ’s true Gospel, radio, television and the printed word. Therefore, Mr. Armstrong founded a number of important magazines to accomplish that end: The Plain Truth, The Good News and Tomorrow’s World magazines. At its apex, The Plain Truth had a monthly circulation of over 8.5 million copies (with a readership of about 20 million)—more than either Time or Newsweek. A Church magazine, The Good News, and two other magazines—Worldwide News and Tomorrow’s World—were also mailed out by the millions!
Under Mr. Armstrong’s supervision and approval, a well-written Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course was produced, and millions of copies mailed out. A Ministerial Bulletin was regularly sent out to the many hundreds of ministers serving the brethren around the globe. Youth magazine and other materials were published for the benefit of the young people who were interested in God’s Truth. Wonderful truths on nearly every spiritual subject were expounded in hundreds of well-written books, booklets, reprint articles, and letters which were printed and mailed out by the tens of millions.
Many millions of his books (Mystery of the Ages, The Incredible Human Potential, etc.), as well as countless booklets were sent out. As mentioned previously, about 12 to15 million booklets titled The United States and Britain in Prophecy were mailed out from Pasadena and the other WCG offices around the world. Tens of millions of people in America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain learned the true ancient ancestral roots of their national identity.
The World Tomorrow radio and TV programs were viewed by scores of millions in many nations across much of the globe. WCG’s telecast was one of the top religious programs in the U.S. Canada, Australia and numerous other nations. The weekly responses to the telecast averaged from about 20,000 to 80,000.
What About Elijah’s & Mr. Armstrong’s “Colleges”?
God used the ancient Prophet Elijah to teach and train a number of young “prophets”—in several “colleges”—which were located in the cities of the Kingdom of Israel at “Gilgal…Bethel and Jericho.” Dr. Merrill F. Unger makes this interesting comment regarding Elijah’s work with those “colleges”: “[Elijah’s] warfare [with wicked King Ahab & Queen Jezebel] is now accomplished [Elijah] determines to spend his last moments in imparting divine instruction to, and pronouncing his last benediction upon, the students in the COLLEGES of Beth-el and Jericho. It was at Gilgal…that the prophet received the divine intimation that his departure was at hand” (Unger’s Bible Dict., 3rd ed, 1969).
It is interesting to note that God used Mr. Armstrong to found three Ambassador Colleges, with campuses at Pasadena, California, Big Sandy, Texas and Bricket Wood, England. Two Imperial Schools were also established by him. Those institutions of learning trained many thousands of students, from many nations of the world, to later serve in God’s Work at Headquarters and to staff the many impressive foreign offices, which sent out a stream of magazines, booklets, books, etc. to enlighten, encourage and give new life to countless thousands. On the three Ambassador College campuses, many thousands of students were trained to serve as staff members and employees in the Ambassador Colleges, Imperial Schools, foreign offices, as well as serving hundreds of Churches, which were shepherded by about 1,500 ministers. Truly the end-time Work which God raised up through His end-time “ELIJAH,” Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, became a globe-girdling Work, on which the sun never set!
A Powerful Witness to Many World Leaders!
In addition, during his later years, God raised up Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong to take Christ’s true Gospel to many world leaders, even as God chose Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and a number of the prophets such as Jeremiah, Daniel, Jesus, and the Apostles Peter, Paul and Barnabas—to make important contacts with leaders top leaders (Kings, Pharaohs, Caesars, etc.) of various nations.
In like manner, God chose Mr. Armstrong to personally communicate Christ’s powerful Gospel Message to over 50 presidents, prime ministers, premiers, kings, princes, emperor, governors, mayors of important cities, members of parliament, ambassadors of nations, judges and other high officials of various national governments and of the. He also met many other world leaders such as the secretary-general of the United Nations, and the President of the International Court of Justice at The Hague. Some have belittled his many meetings with important world leaders, charging that his trips were just “ego trips,” and implying that his messages contained watered-down platitudes, not the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.
But I know better—and so should they! Anyone who has seen the WCG-produced documentary, “Behind The Work,” can see and hear Mr. Armstrong’s addresses to various world leaders and audiences (in Manila, Tokyo, Hong Kong, etc.), and learn the truth—that Mr. Armstrong carried Christ’s Gospel to many world leaders and audiences in numerous nations around the world. I was honored to have had the great privilege of accompanying Mr. Armstrong on one of those world trips, and I know they were not just “joy-rides,” or “ego trips.”
Furthermore, numerous important U.S. and other world leaders visited WCG’s beautiful world headquarters, located on the world-renowned Ambassador College campus in Pasadena, California. Due to Mr. Armstrong’s personal supervision of the Pasadena Campus, which was repeatedly given the most beautiful campus award—judging that campus as being the most beautiful campus in America.
Concluding Remarks
The foregoing fruits of the Work of God, which, through God’s inspiration, Mr. Armstrong raised up and directed for over 50 years, made a huge impact on the world, and on many of its leaders, although that impact will never be fully realized in this age! That Work impacted the lives of scores of millions of people around the earth, and eventually received an annual income of well over $100,000,000. At one time, “Over 20 million people, representing 196 countries and territories … read The Plain Truth.” (Ambassador for World Peace brochure, p. 49).
Jesus said of the “second Elijah,” John the Baptist, “they KNEW HIM NOT!” The truth of Christ’s words could also be applied, even more so, to the end-time “Third Elijah,” Herbert W. Armstrong. It could rightly be said that, neither the people of the world, nor did all-too-many of the ministers and members of God’s Church, really “know” him”—they “KNEW HIM NOT.”
Long ago, Almighty God ordained that he would commission three great servants (or prophets) to carry out important missions: 1) “Elijah the Tishbite,” 2) John the Baptist, 3) And a servant of God named Herbert W. Armstrong, the end-time “Elijah”—who would do a mighty work before the prophesied Great Tribulation devastates the modern nations of Israel and much of the world (Jer. 30:7; Matt. 24:21; Rev. 3:1; Dan. 12:1). God’s Word says that no time of trouble and human suffering will ever be as horrible and destructive of human life as that horrendous time of “Great Tribulation.”
God’s Word clearly reveals that unless God would send a GREAT PROPHET, the end-time “ELIJAH,” to turn the people of Israel to God’s “law” and to warn the wicked inhabitants of the earth to repent—then God would allow all humanity to be erased from the face of this earth. God says: “Remember ye the law of Moses…which I commanded unto him in Horeb [Sinai] for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you ELIJAH THE PROPHET before the coming of the Great and dreadful DAY OF THE LORD. And he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children [and vice versa] lest I come and smite the earth with a CURSE [marg. ‘UTTER DESTRUCTION’]” (Mal. 4:4-6).
The “Work” which God did through His end-time “Elijah,” Herbert W. Armstrong, was a very powerful and a very important work, the influence of which brought about the true conversion of scores of thousands, whom Christ calls the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world” (Matt. 5:13-14). God said He would spare wicked Sodom and Gomorrah if only “ten righteous” people were found living in those corrupt cities (Gen. 19:20-33). Likewise if God had not sent someone (the end-time “Elijah”) to cause many to repent and become “righteous” in God’s eyes—so that the terrible days of Great Tribulation were shortened—then “no flesh would be saved”!
Speaking of this time of Great Tribulation, Christ said: “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened”—otherwise, all humanity would be blotted out” (Matt. 24:21-22; Rev. 3:10)!
How thankful to God should we, His people, be—knowing that a merciful God did send a “GREAT” END-TIME PROPHET to be a “BRIGHT and SHINING LIGHT,” by which those who heeded his message could find their way “out of darkness into [God’s] marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9)! Scores of millions greatly benefited from, and were tremendously blessed by, the wonderful “good news” and the marvelous “plain truths” which he expounded so clearly for over 50 years!
A PERSONAL NOTE. Here is a brief note regarding my varied experiences in the Work of God during the past 55 years. Most of you will have become familiar with my articles in various Church publications (the Good News, Plain Truth, Tomorrow’s World, etc), and more recently in articles which were published in other “Church of God” publications. I have served for nearly 50 years as a writer and editor.
My appointment to serve on the WCG Doctrinal Teams. Mr. H.W. Armstrong appointed me to serve under him over the Headquarters Doctrinal Team in 1974, knowing that I would not introduce “liberal” doctrines into God’s Church. After Mr. Armstrong’s decease, the Pastor General who succeeded Mr. him appointed me to be over the Doctrinal Team in Pasadena; but shortly afterward, my wife and I were sent to the South Pacific to head the Work of God in New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, etc. Since I would not endorse the strange doctrines then being seriously considered at our Pasadena Headquarters, my continued presence would have been a big obstacle in the eyes of those who planned to make sweeping doctrinal changes in the WCG.
My ordination as an Evangelist in the WCG. Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong ordained me as an Evangelist—over 51 years ago. During those 51 eventful years I served as the pastor of 14 churches in the U.S., Britain and New Zealand, and in 1954-1955, I founded the Chicago Church of God, the first WCG Church east of the Mississippi River. I also served as Director of the Work of God in Britain (1958-1973).
Appointed Deputy Chancellor of Ambassador Colleges in England, and Pasadena, CA. In 1960, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong appointed me Deputy Chancellor of Ambassador College, near London. Later, in 1978, Mr. Armstrong asked me to serve as Deputy Chancellor of Ambassador College in Pasadena, California—in order to help him put Ambassador College back on track. I continued serving God’s Work in that position for nearly ten years—until 2 years after Mr. Armstrong’s death in 1986. I was gratified to hear him say, before his decease, that he was very pleased to see Ambassador College back on track. I always counted it a great honor and a fantastic privilege to work with God’s end-time Apostle for over 36 years, from the time I entered Ambassador College in 1948, until his death in 1986—approximately 36 years.
I was privileged to conduct many baptismal tours while serving in the Worldwide Church of God. In the summer of 1949, Mr. Armstrong sent Raymond Cole and me on the first student-led, nation-wide baptismal tour, during which time we baptized about 125 brethren. In the following years, I conducted seven more baptismal tours in the U.S. and Canada before being sent to London, England in 1958 to take charge of God’s Work in Britain, where I continued to serve the Work of Jesus Christ during the next 15 years. After arriving in London, England, I conducted several baptismal tours in the British Isles, and was later sent to Southern Africa with another minister to baptize a number of people in Northern and Southern Rhodesia, and in South Africa.
Copyright 2005 Raymond F. McNair. All Rights Reserved.
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