God thought highly of Herbert W. Armstrong. The tremendous spiritual fruits in Mr. Armstrong’s life prove it. An extraordinary prophecy shows us exactly what impressed God about the life of this end-time apostle.

In Malachi 2:4-6, Mr. Armstrong is compared to Levi, the father of the Levites, which equates to the ministers. “My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity [lawlessness] was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity [lawfulness], and did turn many away from [lawlessness].” How awesome to receive such commendation from God! This was recorded 2,500 years before God called Mr. Armstrong, yet it perfectly describes him.

Here God praises five specific qualities—a list we can learn from and emulate.

1) “The fear wherewith he feared me.”

Mentioned three times in this verse in connection with Mr. Armstrong, godly fear is surely the most important quality God was looking for in His end-time Elijah. “We must learn to fear God as Levi did,” Mr. Flurry writes. “Study this man’s life. God sent him as an example because He knows we learn best by example. Mr. Armstrong was a great example of a man who feared God” (The God Family Vision).

Godly fear is supremely important in all of us. It is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7; 9:10). It means truly living in reverence and respect for God, for His power and nature, recognizing our obligations to Him in light of all He has done for us. This is exactly what those who turn away from God lack (Malachi 1:6). A lack of godly fear creates many problems in our lives: We lose perspective; we exalt the self; we abuse others (e.g. Matthew 24:48-49). Having godly fear means always standing and living under the shadow of God, aware of His presence, respectful of our insignificance by comparison, and eager to please Him.

“Do you fear God as Levi did?” Mr. Flurry writes. “Do you fear when your marriage might be failing? Do you fear when your children are not doing what they should? Do you fear whether you are lukewarm toward God’s Work? … Do you fear division in the Church? Most of God’s people in this end time don’t fear God. Levi did.

“Do you fear competing with God’s government? Can you get on your knees and just say, God, I know that there are some areas here where I hate your government, and I don’t want to change my marriage—or, I don’t want to work with my children the way I should. God, please help me to fear you the way Levi did!” (ibid). That is wonderful advice.

2) “The law of truth was in his mouth.”

Mr. Armstrong studied the law of truth. He was, like Ezra, “a ready scribe in the law” (Ezra 7:6) right from the beginning, with his six-month, night-and-day study. He studied the law of truth, remembered it, obeyed it, held it fast, and spoke on it. God was able to write that law of truth in his mind and heart, so it could then be in his mouth. He shared it with millions of people around the world.

That is a wonderful example. Is the law of truth in our mouth? What comes out of our mouth? We really need to study the truth God revealed through that man—and know it well enough that we can speak it—so God can rely on us to give people right answers on questions about the law of truth.

3) “Lawlessness was not found in his lips.”

Right to the end of his life, Mr. Armstrong never advocated compromise with God’s law. He worked tirelessly to keep the standard in the Church at God’s standard. He worked to keep himself and the Church unspotted from the world, sanctified, separate and holy. That is what God needed for this man to fulfill this role of preparing the way before Christ—and making ready a people prepared for the Lord. What comes out of our lips? God doesn’t want a false word coming from any of us.

4) “He walked with me in peace and lawfulness.”

Mr. Armstrong walked with God, like Enoch, Noah and Abraham (Genesis 5:24; 6:9; 17:1). This is a beautiful description of their relationship—the same relationship God wants to build with all of us. Mr. Armstrong looked to see where God was walking, and he walked with Him, joining himself with God in peace and law-keeping. This is how Jesus Christ structured His life in the flesh: He watched His Father and copied Him exactly (John 5:19). That is how we get close to God: We follow Him and align ourselves with Him.

Mr. Armstrong described his daily prayer and study as a “fellowship and friendship” with Christ and the Father. “When I read and studied the Bible, God was talking to me, and now I loved to listen! [I]n prayer I was talking with God,” he wrote in Mystery of the Ages. “[O]ne gets to be better acquainted with another by constant contact and continuous conversation.” That is walking with God! His whole work started with his prayers at his prayer rock, getting on his knees, bowing before God, and pleading for help.

5) “And did turn many away from lawlessness.”

Mr. Armstrong’s relationship with God was not selfish. He was inspired to share the blessings of godly fellowship and obedience with others, to help them turn from wickedness and come into God’s presence. And God really empowered him. Visible spiritual fruits emerged from that effort: Many people turned from lawlessness! The work Mr. Armstrong did in this regard increased the brightness of his future glory (Daniel 12:3). Think of all the people who will arise in the first resurrection because of what that man did! He really will be shining brightly.

This is also a great example. As we work with our children, we need to actively turn them from lawlessness. In our families, our friendships and our relationships with other Church members, we can exert strong influences in helping people stay on the right track. We need to support this Work that is turning people from lawlessness, and we need to set an example that has a positive impact on the people around us.

Malachi 2:7 concludes, “For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his [Levi’s] mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.” This is directed specifically to ministers who have turned away from God, but we can all heed the advice: Seek the law at Mr. Armstrong’s mouth. That man was the messenger of the powerful God of armies! We should all be seeking the law at his mouth. Get grounded in his teachings. That is a crucial command from God for us to survive spiritually in this Laodicean era. That is why the pcg fought for all his major writings and why we publish them today.

“What a blessing the end-time Levi, our spiritual father, was to us!” Mr. Flurry writes (op cit). “If you honor that office, the father Levi office, you also honor God the Father! The number one way God has arranged for us to honor God the Father is to honor our father Levi’s family message.”