God's End-Time Man

HWA’s voice had the ring of authority. He spoke of world events that were leading inexorably to the end of the age of man. To what he called "the grand smash climax of all history". To the second coming of Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords to rule the whole earth.

In an age of religious nuts, money-hungry televangelists, anti-abortion zealots and religio-political campaigners, many dismissed Herbert Armstrong as just another religious type they didn’t want to hear. Some in mainstream Christianity called him a cultist. Others distributed pamphlets against him, warning people not to get involved. Aware of all this, HWA often spoke of himself as "One crying out in the wilderness of modern religious confusion to prepare the way of the Lord’s second coming."

In spite of the critical things that were written and spoken about him, Herbert Armstrong -- without planning or even intending to do so -- fulfilled an end-time prophecy of Jesus Christ. He literally preached "the gospel of the kingdom in all the world for a witness unto all nations," as Christ said would be done (Matt. 24:l4), AND THEN SHALL THE END COME."

Herbert Armstrong lived into his 94th year, still preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, still writing and broadcasting, and still hoping against hope that he would be alive at Christ’s second coming.

At the time of his death in January l986, HWA was frail and white-haired, nearly blind, and forced to wear hearing aids in both ears. But "the Work", as he called his preaching, broadcasting, publishing and evangelizing, was at its peak. HWA’s videotaped programs were being seen on 400 television stations throughout the United States and Canada. His messages were also being aired on foreign language telecasts of the World Tomorrow program in many different nations. The Plain Truth magazine, started by HWA in l934, was being published in English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Norwegian and Spanish. Circulation by the time of Mr. Armstrong’s death had grown to more than 8 million copies, all given free of charge to subscribers throughout the world. In l986, the year of HWA’s death, the church which had been raised up through him offered 37 different booklets and brochures free of charge, and mailed a total of 96 million publications in the United States alone.

All this was done without requests for money on the air, and without passing the collection plate during church services. Income came mainly from two sources. Radio listeners often contributed voluntarily, becoming "co-workers" who supported the Work on a more or less regular basis. Also, a relatively small number of people requested baptism and became regular contributors through their tithes and offerings.

As Pastor General of the Worldwide Church of God, Herbert Armstrong personally supervised all of the Work’s activities, including broadcasting, publishing, ministerial training, church administration and financial management. At times when church income was low, or money was needed for a new broadcasting opportunity, banks would allow HWA to borrow a million dollars on his signature.