salem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king” (Ezra 7 :7 ). “So the priests, and the Levites, and the porters, and the singers, and some of the people, and the Nethi- nims, and all Israel dwelt in their cities; and when the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities” (Neh. 7:73). “And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.” As to those in Palestine at the time of Christ, we quote the words of Peter on the day of Pentecost: “There fore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2 :36 ). It is the applying of specific judgments promised Israel, to the United States, that leads Garner Ted Arm strong to write: “By the time slow-moving Russia is fin ally READY to strike, your Bible says America will have ceased to be a nation, her citizens removed into a horrible captivity, and another, totally DIFFERENT power will have risen — GERMANY’ ” ( Plain Truth — July 1959, p. 16). How important it is that we rightly divide the word of truth. V. HERBERT ARSTRONG IS CONFUSED ABOUT HEAVEN. While striving to give hope to those who have had loved ones die without Christ through his second-chance teaching, Herbert Armstrong seems equally anxious to steal the hope that loved ones who die in Christ are im mediately in heaven with the Lord. Adding his voice to the Jehovah’s Witnesses on this doctrine, he declares, “To continue with the question, ‘Who knoweth (whether) the spirit of man,’ that is, the breath of man, ‘goeth upward, and the spirit of man,' that is, the breath of man, ‘goeth downward to the earth?’ Well, does anyone know of it? It’s a question. Who knows it? The answer is Nobody does” ( Plain Truth, March 1957, p. 8). To see the true teaching of this verse as the view of the natural man, “under the sun” one needs but to read it in its context. Surely God has not given His entire revelation, the Bible, only to conclude in uncertainty. No, there is no doubt about it, the Bible teaches that we can be sure of heaven after death, if we are saved. Multiplied portions of the Word of God guarantee it. Do not let anyone rob you of this wonderful hope so surely prom ised to God’s children in the Bible. Jesus said: “In my Father’s house are many man sions: if it were not so I would have told you. I go to pre pare a place for you” (John 14:2). Paul wrote in confidence, “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, etern al in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desir
ing to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven . . . Therefore we are always confident, knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (II Cor. 5:1, 2, 6-8). The constant desire of the Apostle was to “depart and to be with Christ, which is far better” (Phil. 1:23). Peter looked forward to an “inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in hea ven . . .” (I Peter 1:4 ). - John Was privileged to get a view of many of the scenes of heaven while he was on the Isle of Patmos, and he wrote' of them in the book of The Revelation. There he saw those who had been saved while on earth and those who had gone through great tribulation. He pre viewed the marriage supper of the lamb where all the saved will one day sit with their Saviour. The book abounds with the wonders of that blessed place where all the saints have their inheritance. I am happy that we can reject Armstrong’s statement “So Christians are not going to heaven after all” ( Plain Truth — Feb. 1958, p. 20). For I have it on far better authority that Christians are going to heaven “after all.” A fter all the problems of this life; after all sickness and sorrow in this life; yes, the Christian is going to heaven “after all.” VI. CONFUSION CONCLUSIONS In one sense it is very difficult to conclude a study such as this, for with nearly every new published work or rad io broadcast of Armstrong’s there are more issues that need to be properly exposed. Perhaps, however, if in conclusion we remind the reader of a few basic facts about this system, it will as sist him in guarding himself and others against this sys tem of error. First, let us be reminded that almost none of Mr. Armstrong’s teachings are original. While the style of his writing and speaking seems to try to convey most of his doctrine as NEW, STARTLING, and SENSATIONAL, it is in fact simply a rehashing of teaching that has been rejected through the years by those who are true to the Bible. Secondly, Mr. Armstrong’s teachings are largely a mixture of the doctrines of Seventh-Day Adventism, Je hovah Witnessism, and British-Israelism. While occa sionally moving in some other direction, nearly all of Armstrongism falls into these three areas. Thirdly, Mr. Armstrong regards all other Bible teach ers, pastors, churches, and Bible Schools as satanic coun terfeits. This even includes those other groups from which he has borrowed his own doctrine. It is quite amusing to read from his article “Persecu tion” ( Plain Truth , Oct., 1960, p. 13), Mr. Armstrong’s defense against one who has written an article accusing him of Satanic deceptions. He writes, “There is an axiom. One who accuses another is always guilty himself of the very thing of which he accuses another.” This, of course, carried through in Armstrong’s case would make him a satanic counterfeit for calling others the same. Confus ing, isn’t it? But then that is the way of confusion. It multiplies. No, God is not the author of confusion, nor is He the author of Armstrongism, a system of confusion. The sys tem must have an author, but it certainly is not the God of the Bible. In this day of urgency, in the closing hours of the age, do not lend your strength nor give your time or finan cial support to the cause of furthering confusion. Rather, give of your all to lead men from confusion to Christ.
About The Author . Rev. Roger F. Campbell is the
pastor of Calvary Bible Church in Benton Harbor, Michigan
FEBRUARY, 1962
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