Reading The World Ahead

From 1992 till 1998 one of the major outposts of Armstrongism was the Global Church of God headed by Roderick C. Meredith. They published a recruitment magazine entitled The World Ahead. Here is some of what was written in this recruitment magazine made to persuade people into think the leaders of the Global Church of God could see the future.

The December 1995 issue exploits the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin to fear monger that the Great Tribulation will soon occur. Roderick Meredith discusses it in an article.

Jeffrey Patton has an article discussing attempts to made Quebec independent from Canada.

On page 32 of the January 1996 issue is a picture of an earlier edition of Roderick C. Meredith's booklet, Your Ultimate Destiny. What an ugly, random cover. No wonder they it changed later on.

The February 1996 issue has an interview with the late Dr. Samuele Bacchiochi.


The March 1996 issue has an article by Roderick Meredith entitled "How God Intervenes in Human Affairs." I recall he made a very similar article in the 2002 issue of Tomorrow's World.

On page 30 of the April 1996 issue there is advertising for the late Raymond McNair's booklet promoting British-Israelism.

The May 1996 issue contains an article by Douglas Winnail fear mongering about Mad Cow disease. And the late John Ogwyn has an article which contains parts of his booklet, The Beast of Revelation.

The June 1996 issue contains an article by Roderick Meredith fear mongering that now is the last generation before the Great Tribulation. And Douglas Winnail fear mongers about droughts. And on page 20 is a picture that was later used for the May-June 2000 issue of Tomorrow's World.

The July 1996 issue contains an article by Raymond McNair discussing the Palestinians. And an article by Jeffrey Patton about the United States being a multicutural society. It even contains a picture of two little girls of different races together. The COGs have a long and shameful history of banning interracial marriage. And John Ogwyn also has an article promoting COG dogmas regarding the Beast of Revelation. There is also an article by one Judy Swanson about raising children.

Is British Israelism Racist?

The issue contains the following words by Raymond McNair.

The fabulous blessings promised Jacob’s descendants would later include the rich lands of North America, Australia and New Zealand, plus much of Northwest Europe—lands inherited by Israel’s modern descendants. (p. 12.)

What nonsensical propaganda. Those lands were not inherited. So often the COGs insist that British Israelism is not racist. And yet look at what British Israelism led McNair to say: that the British and the Americans "inherited" those "rich lands of North America, Australia and New Zealand" simply because of who they are descended from.

Guess what? That is racism. 

North America, Australia and New Zealand were inhabited by other peoples before Europeans arrived. To say that the British and the Americans simply "inherited" those lands were pretending that the original peoples of those lands do not have a link to those lands is racist. McNair is using British Israelism as a license for British and Americans to rule over those peoples and control the resources of those lands. Hence McNair's reference to "the rich lands".

McNair says that the British and Americans have the right to rule those lands simply simply because they are descended from Joseph the son of Israel.  

Guess what? That is racism. It is white supremacy.

Who are the Palestinians?

Intriguingly McNair appears to have changed HWA's teaching that Turkey is Edom. Instead McNair says that most of the Palestinians are Edomites. McNair even seems to confuse the Amalekites and Edomites as though they were the same people.

In fact, there are many different accounts in the Old Testament of Israel warring against the Amalekites—Edomites! (p. 12.)

Of course this is all nonsense because the Palestinians are not Edomites, Amalekites or Philistines. They are Palestinians.

We now continue.

Nineteen years later still no famine in America.

The September 1996 issue contains an article by John Ogwyn vilifying gays. Douglas Winnail fear mongers about famines. And Roderick Meredith asks "Where Will You Be in the 21st Century?"

The November 1996 issue contains an article by Raymond McNair about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It contains a map portraying Israel surrounded by Arab nations. It is part of a series of articles. And Roderick Meredith tells his readers not to vote.

The July 1997 issue contains an article by Roderick Meredith which condemns all Christians outside of the COGs as being deceived by the spirit of Antichrist. All Christians who happen to not share Armstrongism's dogmas concerning the Sabbath and Holy Days are condemned as not just wrong, but demonized as being deceived by the Devil. These frightful words are used to get people to join Meredith's followers and agree to pay three tithes to his group for the rest of one's life.

The September 1997 issue contains an article by Douglas Winnial talking of an alleged "twilight of democracy."

Meredith orders his followers not to vote.

The November 1997 issue contains an article by Gary Foster discussing the death of Princess Diana. And Raymond McNair then talks about COG dogmas concerning the British monarchy which are taken by HWA from British Israelism. And Thomas Robinson has an article condemning the celebration of Christmas. And Roderick Meredith has an article advising married couples how to keep their love alive. Just forget about the many marriages Meredith destroyed in order to enforce HWA's divorce and remarriage policy up to 1974.

Scared of a future Antichrist? Pay three tithes. For life.

The January 1998 issue contains an article by John Ogwyn discussing the Asian financial crisis of 1997.

The March 1998 issue contains an article by John Ogwyn talking about alcoholism. And Roderick Meredith accuses Christians outside of Armstrongism of being false Christians in order to get more recruits for his group. On page 25 is advertising for a booklet of theirs promoting tithing.

The May 1998 issue contains an article by Roderick Meredith insinuating that Catholicism will revive and ultimately lead Europe to conquer America. Rex Sexton has an article insisting that Armstrongism properly understands prophecy. Douglas Winnail has an article fear mongering about Europe. It is entitled "Europe's Gathering Storm."

The July 1998 issue contains a response to a letter insisting that British Israelism is not racist (p. 14). Which is complete nonsense. British Israelism is inherently racist. It was created to justify the existence of the British Empire.

On page 29 of the September 1998 issue there is advertising for Roderick Meredith's booklet, Christianity's Greatest Deception. In that booklet Meredith insists that all forms of Christianity outside of the COGs are not only false but the work of the Devil.

The November 1998 issue contains an article by Douglas Winnail fear mongering about the future. "Within the next decade or two, China will become the second-most-powerful military power on earth, with economic power to match," he fearfully writes.

After that issue was published Roderick Meredith decided to break away from Global Church of God and created another COG splinter group named the Living Church of God. Meredith was able to bring most GCG members to join his new splinter group as well as many ministers.

By establishing LCG it was able to be no longer liable for debts held by Global COG while the greatly reduced Global COG still had to pay the debts incurred previously. Consequently Global COG was soon dissolved in the United States. However some branches of it out side the United States continued to operate.

It was not a sign that God favored LCG over Global COG. Instead Meredith's skill in persuading most Global COG members and ministers to side with him insured that Global COG had all the liabilities and far less assets. This caused Global COG's prompt dissolution in the United States.

Sixteen years later and Europe still can't conquer America.

The May 1999 issue has an article by Raymond McNair bewailing the Clinton-Lewinsky affair. And Norbert Link has an article fear mongering about Europe. It even shows a cover of Newsweek magazine to make it appear that Armstrongism can see into the future.

How sad it is that the 1% of Armstrongism have continuously spread the same fear inducing false prophecies and are still able to maintain the loyalty of their followers. The same false prophesies are continuously updated to keep them thinning that the complex tapestry of events leading up to Christ's return will occur any moment now.

But the many false prophecies Armstrongism have made prove that God is not with the Armstrongites. God is not with the Armstrongites.