Between early 1938 and mid 1945 Herbert Armstrong had given 21 major prophecy failures.¹ By the time he died, he had given over 200 false prophecies! Are we still waiting for them to be fulfilled?² Read: Haven't HWA's prophecies just not come to pass yet? (for those who like to use this reasoning). Also read: Memories About Petra which shows HWA would resort to justifying his prophecies whenever they didn't come to pass. [All bolding below is ESN's.]

1967:

"The God who is REAL says of OUR PEOPLES: 'Prophecy against the prophets of Israel . . . O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes of the deserts. Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up a hedge for the House of Israel TO STAND in the BATTLE IN THE DAY OF THE ETERNAL (Ezek. 13:1-5).' That is NOT a message to ancient Israel—but to OUR NATIONS TODAY. The 'DAY OF THE ETERNAL'—a time foretold in more than thirty prophecies—is going to strike between 5 and 10 years from now! You will know, then, how REAL it is. You will wish, then, you had heeded. I am not writing foolishly, but very soberly, ON AUTHORITY of the living CHRIST!"  ("HOW the U.S. Can END the Vietnam WAR . . . NOW!" Herbert W. Armstrong, The Plain Truth, Feb. 1967, p. 47) 

"A STAGGERING TURN in world events is due to erupt in the next four to seven years. It will involve violently the United States, Britain, Western Europe, the Middle East." (The United States and British Commonwealth in Prophecy, Herbert W. Armstrong, Introduction, 1967, p. IX) ³

"Now, other prophecies reveal, we are to have soon (probably in about four years) such drought, and famine, that disease epidemics will follow taking millions of lives ... Well, we have been getting foretastes of that! That condition is coming! And I do not mean in 400 years—nor in 40 years—but in the very next FOUR or FIVE!" (The United States and British Commonwealth in Prophecy, Herbert W. Armstrong, 1967, p.184)

"You need to look at the prophecies of Jesus of Jeremiah, of Isaiah, and others, describing how much more INTENSE is to be the punishment God is going to lay on the British and American people in five to seven more years!" (Ibid., p. 185) 

1956:

The title of this article was, "U.S.A. Riding to Total Collapse in 20 Short Years!" and it was subtitled: "Here are the naked FACTS that ought to astonish and shock you into immediate action."

The first paragraph reads:

"You're going to be shocked to read what goes on undercover in the United States. Five major vices threaten the total collapse of our country inside of 20 years. The handwriting is on the wall of America, now!"

After fostering many scare tactics in the article concerning how many in the U.S.A. are going to die of famine, pestilence and war "in less than 20 years," he goes on to say:

"I've shown you from the very word of God what is next coming in prophesied events...It's prophesied for 15 to 20 years or less." ("U.S.A. Riding to Total Collapse in 20 Short Years!" Herbert W. Armstrong, The Plain Truth, Feb. 1956)

1969:

"If that unseen Hand does not exist, humanity will not survive on earth another 25 years, or less! I know whereof I speak, for no organization on earth has a more knowledgeable grasp and understanding of world conditions, trends, and causes, than ours. ..." (The Ambassador College Correspondence Course, Lesson 5, 1969, p. 15)

"There is very little time remaining. You now know only a minority of humanity will remain alive just a few years from now." (Ibid., Lesson 44, 1969, p. 16)

1956:

"Indications of prophecy are that this drought ... will strike sooner than 1975— probably between 1965 and 1972!"  ... "Yes, millions of lukewarm inactive professing Christians will suffer MARTYRDOM—and that before the anticipated push-button leisure-year of 1975 dawns upon us!" (1975 in Prophecy, Herbert W. Armstrong, 1956, pp. 10, 20)

[Note: Be aware that this booklet contains grotesque and horrifying pictures drawn by Basil Wolverton. These pictures were originally black and white but were later colored by Basil's son, Monte Wolverton.]

1959:

"I say to YOU, now, that your money—your home—every material thing you have—will be taken from you SOON—probably in 12 to 13 years, certainly in 15 or less!" (Herbert W. Armstrong, August 13, 1959 Co-Worker letter)

1963:

"In eight years all of our ministers will be silenced!" (Herbert W. Armstrong, November 23, 1963 sermon)

1953:

"Now HERE IS SOMETHING STARTLING! Herman Hoeh, in his eye-opening article you will read in the June number of The PLAIN TRUTH on the Times of the Gentiles shows that the Times of the Gentiles—if chronologies are correct—will come to their final end in the year 1982."
.............
"Now if this chronology is correct, that means Christ shall return some very few years PRIOR to1982! NO MAN KNOWS THE DAY, HOUR, OR YEAR OF CHRIST'S RETURN. But we CAN know exact dates of one or two other events." 
...........
"IF THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES END IN 1982, in October, as Mr. Hoeh has it figured, THE INVASION OF AMERICA AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION MUST BEGIN NOT LATER THAT MARCH-APRIL, 1972!" (Herbert W. Armstrong, Co-Worker Letter, May 22, 1953)

1980:

"The actual movement of world events as prophesied WARNS US that all this MAY
now occur in the decade we entered day before yesterday--and, if delayed past 1990,
most certainly during the decade of the 90s." (Herbert W. Armstrong, Co-worker Letter, January 3, 1980)

1985:

Right up to the end of his life HWA continued to make false predictions. Here is just one quote from his Mystery of the Ages:

"And, secondly, to reveal—preserved in writing for us TODAY—what is to happen "in the latter days"—actually within the next two decades—THIS LAST HALF OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY! (Mystery of the Ages, Herbert W. Armstrong, p. 298) 

NOTE: The above words were removed by Gerald Flurry when he re-printed this booklet (it is posted on his website). He changed the sub-heading to say, "Prophecy is a PROOF of God," and also removed other words from the original booklet and added words of his own.

The following are quotes from Herbert W. Armstrong stating that there is no prophet today (notice this was written after his 1972 prophecy failure):

"There is no such human prophet living today!"

        "The Bible is the written Word of God—and, for our time now, it is COMPLETE! Never have I believed or claimed that God reveals to me new truths not contained in the Bible—in addition to, or apart from the Bible…

        "Let's take a look at the Church of God of the first century, as we find it revealed in the Book of Acts, beginning from the day of Pentecost, 31 A.D. The Bible was not fully written—only the Old Testament—in 31 A.D. God then was still communicating new truth, instruction and knowledge directly and personally to prophets. As the Church progressed, it was the function of a prophet to communicate TO THE APOSTLES special messages which God had personally revealed to them. Others were inspired in the writing of the books of the New Testament.

        "So we read, in Acts 11:28 and 21:10-11, of the prophet Agabus. But today we have the COMPLETE Word of God, for our time, in the Bible. There are no such prophets—EXCEPT FALSE ONES." (Herbert W. Armstrong Personal, "The 19-Year Time Cycles -- What HAPPENED January 7--What My Commission IS! Tomorrow's World, 2/72 [emp. ours]

HWA stated that he, himself, was not a prophet:

"But I definitely have NOT been called to be a PROPHET...Emphatically I am NOT a prophet, in the sense of one to whom God speaks specially and directly, revealing personally a future event to happen or new truth, or new and special instruction direct from God--separate from, and apart from what is contained in the Bible." (Herbert Armstrong, "Personal from Herbert W. Armstrong," Tomorrow's World, February, 1972, p. 1)

In response to this last quote, Paul N. Benware  writes:

Mr. Armstrong emphatically states that he is not a prophet, like those of old who received new revelation from God. However, in spite of his denials, the fact still remains that he does claim that new truth, embedded in the Bible, has been revealed in him. (Benware, Ambassadors of Armstrongism, 1984, p. 25, 26) [emp. ours]

So we can see by the above quotes how Herbert Armstrong backpedaled and lied, because he is saying here that there are no human prophets living today, and (in a clever twist of words) declares that he is not a prophet. Yet we know that he gave prophecies² by telling such and such was going to happen "in 5 years," "in 20 years," "in your lifetime," "in a few more years," and especially with his book, 1975 in Prophecy (later withdrawn), making members think he was "speaking for God" (the definition of a prophet). HWA is saying that he doesn't have truths, yet he later told members he did have new truth; i.e., on makeup, divorce and remarriage, the spirit in man, observance of Pentecost, etc. The Church of God 7th day, which HWA was associated with in his early years in Oregon, stated that HWA previously called himself a prophet and the congregation actually believed it! HWA incriminated himself by his own words.

"HWA tries hard to bail himself out of the January 7, 1972 date--his former terminal date--by planning more advertising, more buildings, and more radio propaganda--BUT his hundreds of blunders expose him as a continuing false prophet." (S. E. Anderson, Armstrongism's 300 Errors Exposed - by 3000 Bible Verses, 1973, p. 195; referring to HWA's February 1972 World Tomorrow personal).

"When one claims that he has been ordained of God, baptized by Jesus Christ...and dares to tell in specific, point-by point, and in detailed order, the events that are to occur, the real meaning of the mysterious books of prophecy...he ought not to have made predictions which have never come to pass. ... And if he is God's true prophet for these times, he should never have made such predictions as have miserably failed." (Radio Church of God Vs. Church of God, 7th Day - John Kiez. Quoted from p. 211 of Armstrongism: Religion or Rip-Off? An Exposé of the Armstrong Modus Operandi)

To read more about specific HWA false prophecies see: Robert Gerringer 1975 letter and John Kiesz Furnishes Information on Herbert W. Armstrong.

Biblical Titles Gerald Flurry Has Appropriated for Himself (one of his titles is "that Prophet.")

Info compiled by D. W.
Exit & Support Network™
February 26, 2003
Last updated March 8, 2007

NOTE: In 2004 Gerald Flurry deleted and changed portions of Herbert Armstrong's book Mystery of the Ages, removing the part where HWA said there were no prophets in the N.T. church and substituting his own words. (Read letters which show this.) One of the reasonings members in PCG can use in order to excuse away this editing is that MOA "wasn't Scripture" and it has merely been "updated for the times." But didn't HWA claim that God inspired him when he wrote MOA? Notice what HWA said:

Footnotes:

¹ Armstrongism: Religion or Rip-Off? An Exposé of the Armstrong Modus Operandi by Marion J. McNair, p. xvii.

² Worldwide Church of God, along with certain WCG offshoots (especially Church of the Great God, founded in 1991 by John Ritenbaugh, and Philadelphia Church of God, have stated that these were not prophecies that HWA gave, but only "speculations." This is a false assumption since Herbert Armstrong claimed he was "God's Apostle" (a. k. a. "Christ's Apostle"--read several statements by him) and that he had received "revelation from God." HWA was dogmatic about prophecy (read his articles and Co-Worker letters online). The only exceptions to this were when he had to backpedal out of a failed prophecy, such as the 1975 one, in which thousands of people changed their entire lives because of it (refer to his booklet 1975 in Prophecy). This was not based on "speculations." (Read letter: Does Speculation Count?) A prophet is "one who speaks for God." HWA placed himself in this role. So for anyone to claim that "Herbert Armstrong never said he was a prophet or an apostle and, therefore, he didn't give prophecies," is merely skirting the facts. HWA was unofficially hailed as a prophet (Armstrongism: Religion or Rip-Off?, xvii) and his over 200 false prophecies have been documented on the Internet. According to Scripture, doesn't it only take one failed prophecy to be qualified as a false prophet? Read our Q&A which shows how those in O.T. times knew whether someone qualified as a true prophet of God: Haven't HWA's prophecies just not come to pass yet? Interestingly, one of these "predictions" HWA continually emphasized was the "6,000 year plan." According to this belief, Christ was to return after the 6,000 years of mankind was up. HWA's "math" for this 6,000 years has been proven wrong. Read this part in ESN's review of Mystery of the Ages, Chapter Three to see this theory completely dismantled.

³ In the1972 version of The United States and Britain in Prophecy HWA substituted the word "several" (years) in place of "four to seven" (years) which was originally in the 1967 edition entitled, The United States and British Commonwealth in Prophecy.
 

Why Herbert W. Armstrong Couldn't Have Been God's True Apostle

Flurry's Praise of a False Prophet (What Was HWA Really About?)

Back to Questioning Herbert W. Armstrong (was he who he said he was?)