It should be evident to anyone who is not spiritually blind, that the Worldwide Church of God, under Mr Armstrong’s dispensation, was the Laodicean era of the church. For all the sinful, self deceptive characteristics of the Laodicean condition were very evident in the church to anyone who was spiritually alive. For example, the growth of the church was measured by the 30% increased in income it received every year for about 30 years.
At the height of the church’s financial prosperity, it had three colleges, two private jets, a fleet of vehicles, hundreds of properties around the world and an annual income of around $220 millions dollars, more than the annual budget of some small countries. And of course, the hirelings that feed themselves and not the flock were handsomely paid to give sermons on the Sabbath, that were devoid of any spiritual substance.
Thus it said: “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing”(Rev. 3:17). Materially, that was true, but spiritually it was “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”(Rev.3:17).
“Wretched,” in that the sins of the ministry, in particular, were covered up. “Miserable,” in that people who try to hide their sins like Adam, tend to live with a guilty conscience, which makes them miserable. “Poor,” in that the ministry had not even gone beyond “the milk of the word.” So the exhortation, “let us go on to perfection”(Hebrews 6:1), didn’t and couldn’t apply to them. Blind, in that “the eyes of their understanding”(Eph.1:18). were still shrouded in darkness, instead of being enlightened. Naked, in that the ministry were not clothed in white raiment. But because they were spiritually naked, that is, laden with sins, and lacking the fruits of God’s spirit. Their sins blinded them to spiritual understanding. For the words of King David are these: “A good understanding have all they that do his commandments”(Ps.111:10).
To be continued……
