Does God Have an “Organized” Work Today?

By Daniel Cohran

Since the death of Mr. Herbert W Armstrong in 1986, what was once the Worldwide Church of God is no more, and what was once the membership of that church has fragmented and split into almost 400 divisions or “splinter groups”, and countless individuals “on their own” for a variety of reasons.

One of those “reasons” is because the entire ministry has gone off track and led God’s people astray. This fact has been clearly documented many times over the years here on the Church of God website, through many articles and countless sermons.

But many (or most) of God’s people have forgotten what Mr. Armstrong taught, and have also forgotten that it was really Christ teaching through him.

One of the many “rumors” going around in recent years, is that there is no “organized church” today, or in other words, “God has no organized work” going on right now, and everybody is just left to themselves to “go it alone”.  Is this true, and is it biblically sound? Would God abandon His true people here at the very end, and leave us to fend for ourselves in this world of spiritual chaos and confusion?

We need to remember what we were taught from the beginning, under Mr. Armstrong yes, but also by Jesus Christ Himself!

In Matt. 16:18, Jesus Christ said He would build His Church and that the gates of Hades would NOT prevail against it!  In other words, His Church will always exist! (although it will take on a different form after He returns). One thing to notice though, is that He never said His church would be big! In fact, quite the contrary, He called it a “little flock”.

Under Mr. Armstrong, the work was rather sizeable, and worldwide, yet still comparatively small in comparison to the world population at that time. But God the Father and Jesus Christ always have a work! (John 5:17) If you are old enough to remember, Mr. Armstrong taught the same and said countless times, that God always works through one man at a time.

It is true that the work that God gave Mr. Armstrong to do is over (preaching the gospel to the world as a witness), and that after he died there was a great falling away (from the truth – II Thes. 2). But then did Christ just abandon His true followers and decide that they have to go it alone? That’s foolish! This is exactly what Satan wants God’s people to think, and some are actually falling for it!

There is still a work today, and yes, it is organized, albeit on a far smaller scale than it was in the last era. There is a remnant or little flock, still holding on (Rev. 3:11) to those same truths and doctrines (Matt. 17:11), that Jesus Christ restored and revealed through Mr. Armstrong! But the work has changed. Instead of preaching the gospel to the world as a witness, today it is a watchman warning work, the final work just before the great tribulation (Jer. 6:17-19 & Isa. 62:6). When the tribulation comes, it will be down to just two men (the two witnesses).

The work today entails a warning to God’s people (congregation- Jer. 6:16) as well as to the nations (of Israel -verse 18) and to the whole earth! (verse 19). And even though the “gospel” has been preached to the world as a witness, today it has to be preached again as a warning to God’s own people (church) who have departed from that gospel, or way of life! The warning is to repent and return to that gospel, which contains the knowledge (truths and doctrines of Christ) of the way of life! (Jer. 6:16 & Jude 1:3)

In my original paperback copy of Mr. Armstrong’s book: “The Incredible Human Potential” (copywrite 1978), on page 118, Mr. Armstrong made the following statement:

What about a single member, "a joint, or part," going off by itself -- or following a MAN instead of the CHURCH OF GOD that is in direct continuous succession from the apostolic Church founded by Christ, in A.D. 31? He is like a joint or a piece of wood or stone, entirely outside of, and therefore NO PART OF the BODY OF CHRIST that shall MARRY Christ!

And on page 119, he states:

But what of the separated individual believer, who tries to GET his salvation all by himself -- or by following some MAN, or any of hundreds of professing Christian denominations of our day? He is CUT OFF from that TRUE teaching which Christ reveals to and through His apostle!

What if one in the Church disagrees on some point of doctrine? Then he is out of harmony with God's Church. And GOD HAS ONLY THE ONE CHURCH.

And further down he says:

WHAT, then, of the person who follows after a man outside the Church -- or tries to GET his salvation, simply by GETTING -- and not GIVING that which members are to give to the Church's Work? Consider Jesus' parable of the pounds in Luke 19. The pound is the British unit of money. Jesus illustrated Himself giving each member, on conversion, "one pound" -- representing the Holy Spirit given at conversion. But the Christian MUST GROW in grace and Christ's knowledge. As he does, by GIVING in the Church, he receives an increasing amount of God's Spirit. The isolated, separated member will probably LOSE OUT (see Luke 19:20-24).    (End of excerpts)

Nowhere in God’s Word does He say there would be no organized work (or work) in the end. Christ does say however, in John 9:4, that there is a time coming when “no man” can work, and the implication there is the time of the great tribulation and Day of the Lord (God’s wrath).

The first 19 years (a time-cycle) after Mr. Armstrong’s death are clearly summarized by the Words of Jesus Christ Himself in Matt. 25:5, where He says: “While the bridegroom was delayed, they ALL slumbered and slept.” This parable of the ten virgins represents the condition of God’s end time church just before the return of Christ. The very next verse (6) speaks of a “midnight cry” (warning) just before the coming of the bridegroom (return of Christ). This present warning work of God began in 2005, 19 years after the death of Mr. Armstrong.

Christ also mentions this overall condition of God’s people at the end, in Rev. 3:18 when He admonishes His people to “anoint their eyes” so they may “see” (again).

So yes, as mentioned earlier, there is a warning to God’s people today to WAKE UP! Time is almost up, and many are in danger of being thrown into the great tribulation (Rev. 3:16), or worse, losing their eternal lives!

To those who scoff at the fact there is indeed an “organized” yet small work today, I will leave you with this warning from God’s Word:

Act 13:40  Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; 

Act 13:41  Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you. 

So, does God have an “organized” Work today? Those in the true Body of Christ already know the answer to that question!  It’s as plain as the plain truth itself.