“I want to make a statement about…me…now, if I became deceived, I will never tell you what I’m going to tell you now…I am telling you if I go off into strange ideas, misconduct, rebellion, you name it, don’t follow me. I want to tell you that now, because if I start doing that I’m gonna try to get you to follow me! I’m gonna come to you and tell you it doesn’t apply, it doesn’t mean me, no, no, no, no, no, no, it’s OK to follow me because ABCD and XY and Z. Do you understand what I’m saying? Listen to me now, when I tell you don’t follow me if I go off into weird ideas, or if I get off into other things that are total absolutely unscriptural conduct, because if I do I’m gonna paint it with a different face and try to get you to follow me. Do you understand what I’m saying brethren? Please remember that, because I promise you that if I become deceived, I’ll forget it, and I’ll want you to forget it…And I hope you’ll remember it well enough to quote it right back to me…But I’ll tell you what, I’m not going anywhere.”
-David C Pack
December 12, 1998
The Clarion Call of Apostle David C. Pack
Video and audio files can be found here and on Rumble
Herbert Armstrong never believed that the Arab nations would amount to very much on the world scene — he thought that the Soviet Union would keep them as virtual ‘satellites’.
He probably never considered Islam to be that much of a force in the world either, even though there was nearly a billion Muslims at the time he was still alive.
This has to be one of the most bone-headed things Herbert Armstrong ever did. He didn’t really seem to notice that the Old Testament was all about the Israelites and the Arabs and the struggle between them for much of the Scriptures.
In the 1930s, it was easy to see the Roman Catholic Church as being a formidable force in the world. That is why so many interpreted woman who was to ride “The Beast Power” of Revelation to be the Catholic Church headed by the Pope. It would not be any stretch of the imagination that Herbert Armstrong, in his lack of knowledge and education, to assume that scenario. He was a simpleton who believed the prophecy hype that came his way which became his branding and narrative.
Branding and narrative are at the core of many lies, deceptions and cons. Herbert Armstrong certainly sold his with vigor and enthusiasm which overwhelmed many people who were never exposed to the facts that he conveniently overlooked and discarded to produce the worthless sects of the Cult of Herbert Armstrong Mafia Nazis we see today. They use much the same branding and narrative to spin fairy tales in order to make themselves elite.
Islam, though, is getting very hard to ignore these days. It’s about time the Armstrongists start paying 1.2 billion people of the world some attention.
Now Herbert never thought much of the Arabs and he never predicted the rise of ISIS as a system that would persecute real Christians. These folks are not the type of so called Christians that you may find in Charlotte or Edmond, no, you find them in the Middle East where they really can trace back their religious lineage.
Thus again proving what most of us “dissidents” have considered obvious: HWA was not a visionary, or a prophet, and he certainly was not a quasi-Biblical figure, or world-class mover and shaker like the people Stan Rader bought photo ops for him with. He was just a loud mouthed carney barker with a captivating radio voice, the author of peoples’ misery who exploited the misery he created, sapping them of their God-given resources to enrich himself.
BB
Most excellent comment Bob. Thank you for that.