This summer, Apple Inc. hosted its annual Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco. During the presentations from ceo Tim Cook and other leading executives, the word “incredible” was used frequently to describe the design, power and capability of the various devices and applications unveiled.
Admittedly, this article was produced via Apple’s “incredible” iPad tablet. Even our editor in chief dubbed Steve Jobs, “the greatest ceo ever,” and the company, “the most valuable corporation on Earth,” in admiration of “his burning passion to be perfect.”
Dictionary.com defines incredible as “so extraordinary as to seem impossible … not credible; hard to believe; unbelievable.” Its origin dates back to late middle English (1375–1425), and it is formed from the Latin incrēdibilis.
Incredible, only used once in the Bible (Acts 26:8), is translated from the Greek word apistos.Vine’s Expository Dictionary notes, it is “rendered ‘incredible,’ Act 26:8, of the doctrine of resurrection; elsewhere it is used of persons, with the meaning ‘unbelieving.’”
“This ultimate potential of man through Christ is almost too awesome to believe,” wrote redoubtable broadcaster, publisher, humanitarian and Apostle Herbert W. Armstrong to members and co-workers on Sept. 29, 1976. “[T]his was the potential first offered to angels. The commission to finish—to complete—the creation of the universe—to upbuild, improve, perfect the entire universe!
“That includes this Earth—the other planets of our solar system, which is only a part of our galaxy—not only Earth, but Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, etc. Beyond our galaxy of which our solar system is but an insignificant small part are perhaps millions of other super galaxies.
“This Earth was the training ground—the testing ground—for the hundreds of millions of angels who were placed here.
“God the Creator is going to do something so great as to be almost brain-shattering! It will require millions of beings to accomplish.
“Now think!! How can billions of beings—whether angels or humans—work together to accomplish such a grand scale, mind-staggering achievement unless they work together—in harmony, in peace, in unity!”
God set the created archangel Lucifer as king over all the angels. He was granted rulership on Earth’s throne. He was commissioned to lovingly administer God’s government over those angels. The government of God is based on His law. That law is God’s way of life. It is a life of outflowing concern one toward the other. It requires submitting to the God of love.
Yet Lucifer, who was created to illuminate that loving light, chose the dark way of deciding for himself right and wrong. This resulted in the destruction of the face of the Earth (Genesis 1:2). Instead of beautifying the Earth and administering God’s government of love, he turned one third of the angels to destruction and sin (1 John 3:4).
“Now why did God create man?” Mr. Armstrong continued. “Because it left God alone as the only kind of being that would never depart from God’s government which is based on harmony, peace, cooperation and love. But God is a family. The word for ‘God’ in Genesis 1, verse 1, is, in English, ‘God,’ but Moses wrote the Hebrew word ”Elohim“—a uni-plural word meaning more than one person forming the one God. God is a family of beings.
“God’s only way to accomplish His purpose was to reproduce Himself—a family of ultimate super beings, all children of God, all having rejected Satan’s way, and voluntarily choosing and coming under the government of God—the way of cooperation and peace. …
“[T]he world doesn’t understand the awe-inspiring things God is preparing for us. The time is our generation. The one thing above all else in God’s mind right now is restoring His government to this Earth.”
The “incredible” plot of the greatest book ever produced, the Holy Bible, remains a mystery to not only Apple but the world at large.
Two years after writing those inspirational words, and recovering from total heart failure in Tucson, Arizona, Mr. Armstrong completed his book The Incredible Human Potential, and distributed it worldwide at no cost or obligation. He died on Jan. 16, 1986, leaving behind a rich, abundant spiritual legacy glorifying the great God and His government, law and love.
Mr. Armstrong knew his purpose for being created, called of God and begotten by His Spirit. He knew he was only moments away from inheriting a universal future! Do you know yours? To uncover more of this deep truth, download your free copy of The Incredible Human Potential from our website or via Apple’s iBooks store. It’s wonderful beyond anything you could imagine!