by Herbert W. Armstrong

Going over papers in preparing for the trip to China, I came across a letter that had become sidetracked. It was dated August 19, 1979. On reading it again, I decided to print it in The Worldwide News, and I am including it in this Pastor General’s Report.

It describes, from the member point of view, how the conspiracy to eliminate both God and Jesus Christ from this Church actually operated. Of course Satan was the real author of the whole conspiracy – now continuing in the California attorney general’s attempt to take over the Church and its properties and assets – or, in other words, to DESTROY the Church of the Living God!

My son, still held in the bond and grip of Satan, has NOT started another Church of God. God has only ONE Church.

God calls His Church the Body of Christ. In this case the word body is used in the sense of a cohesive single GROUP – a SPIRITUAL ORGANISM. We are “the HOUSEHOLD OF GOD; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:19-21).

So we are a body of Spirit-begotten people – we are a building, and we are a holy temple! And all that one body is “fitly joined together and compacted [welded] by that which every joint supplieth” (Ephesians 4:16).

But that Church body is NOT TWO churches, but only ONE! “For as the body is ONE, and hath many members…. But now are they many members, yet but ONE body” (1 Corinthians 12:12, 20). What has been started in OPPOSITION TO the ONE Church of God is merely a group, mostly of embittered dissenters, following a MAN!.

It was started in anger, and resentment and hostility, under threat to DESTROY the ONE Church of the living GOD. That conspiracy continued into the plot that influenced a California lawyer, for his personal profit, to induce a deputy attorney general of California, to attempt to DESTROY the Church of the living GOD!

The REAL conspirator is Satan the devil. He has DECEIVED a handful of resentful, embittered, hostile former members into trying to DESTROY that which formerly FED them and supplied all their physical need.

Let us PRAY, earnestly and continuously, that Jesus Christ will LOOSE him that is in the clutch of Satan from the power of Satan, that he may yet find his way back to that to which he was originally called.

The other morning I awoke from a most startling and vivid dream. I was walking past a counter in a building and standing there at the counter was this one held captive by Satan. He turned and saw me. Looking beaten and frustrated, he said, “Dad, is there any possible way that I can come back?”

I awoke at that instant, shaken, but with a new ray of hope. Of himself it is IMPOSSIBLE, for as Paul wrote in Hebrews, when one has tasted of God’s Holy Spirit and the holy Word of God, if he shall fall away, it is IMPOSSIBLE to renew him to repentance. Impossible for him – yes. BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE FOR JESUS CHRIST.

In the third chapter of Zechariah is the forerunner – the antetype of the prototype of this late 20th century – the high priest Joshua, clothed with filthy garments – covered with sin. Beside him stands Satan, holding him BOUND (but not possessed) – unable to shake himself loose – unable to REPENT.

Then comes Jesus Christ and REBUKES Satan, frees Joshua, orders his filthy garments to be taken off and clean garments of white – righteousness – put on, and then a fair mitre put on his head.

PRAY WITH ME, earnestly and diligently that the END-TIME EVENT, which that foreshadowed, may yet come to pass. I pray for this fervently DAILY, as I pray also for all of YOU.