The Double Wonder!

Habakkuk 2:11 says: “For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.” Viewed physically, this verse does not make much sense. But it is one of the most fascinating verses in the book of Habakkuk. This verse has become one of the most meaningful verses in the Bible for the Philadelphia Church of God.

The “stone” is crying out! And there is an answer to that cry; the “beam” provides the answer.

This is a prophecy for the end time, our day today. God says, “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak …” (verse 3). When God says “at the end it shall speak,” you had better take note! God is speaking specifically to the pcg in these verses. This is revelation even Mr. Armstrong did not understand. Why? Because it is reserved for the Laodicean era.

The Laodicean era is the last of the seven successive eras of the New Testament Church described prophetically in Revelation 1 through 3. The first of these Church eras was the first-century Ephesian era started by Jesus Christ when He was on Earth.

With Christ’s return close at hand, God continues to give His Church new revelation! He is constantly speaking to His people. And with this new revelation on the stone and throne, God is again speaking to us at the appointed time. And this revelation is a powerful vision that can keep us stirred and inspired!

Church Crisis: ‘How Long?’

The vision that begins the book of Habakkuk puts it right in the context of our day.

“The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see. O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!” (Habakkuk 1:1-2). What Habakkuk saw in this vision of the end time terrified him! He saw evil men taking over God’s Church and the Church being torn apart. He called it a burden! And it truly was a burden on God’s people when it was fulfilled. Who is behind this catastrophe? In a very direct and personal way, it is Satan the devil. After Herbert W. Armstrong died in 1986, members of God’s true Church watched as Satan and his henchmen simply tore the Church apart! Supposedly “righteous” men came along and decided it was their self-professed “Christian duty” to stop printing Mr. Armstrong’s writings.

This spiritual crisis grew so severe that 95 percent of God’s own people turned their backs on Him, and the Work was stopped! In a war, losing 95 percent of your soldiers is an unparalleled catastrophe!

This is the burden that Habakkuk saw! It was a real crisis. How could the Church survive?

It wouldn’t have unless Jesus Christ Himself had intervened!

During this crisis, Christ led a small group of people who were committed to God and His way of life to stand up and fight for the truth. The pcg entered a six-year court battle with the Worldwide Church of God to gain the copyright to Mystery of the Ages. This court battle did take a toll on God’s Work; we had to cut back on most of our television stations for the Key of David program. But we believed and had faith that God would pull us through.

In my Habakkuk booklet, I wrote this about our fight for survival: “What is God preparing us for? I believe we are in for a significant and dramatic change in this Church. We must have Mr. Armstrong’s written material to do God’s Work and deliver His message. I (along with God’s supporters) have to beseech God and ask, How long will this go on? I see now that the answer is right here in Habakkuk.”

If you have Christ at the head of your Church, you just have to be patient and trust Him. If you cry out to Him, you can be sure you will receive an answer. It might not come when you want it to, but you will get the answer at the appointed time.

“Why dost thou shew me iniquity [lawlessness], and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention” (verse 3). Strife comes from a word meaning a personal or legal contest—like a lawsuit. Contention also comes from a root meaning to strive as at law. Lawless people had decided it was their “Christian duty” to destroy everything that Mr. Armstrong wrote. During our six-year court battle, judgment was perverted and the courts were corrupt.

The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary says that “there are that raise up strife and contention” is speaking of an individual. A man inside God’s Church was raising up strife and contention. He was intent on destroying the truth. That is the mindset of those we fought in the court case: They had a passion to obliterate what God had established. Why? There is only one way to explain why someone would want to destroy God’s precious truth: Satan was leading these men! The leader was a man who was possessed, at times at least, trying to destroy everything he could and cast the truth to the ground!

“Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth” (verse 4). The wicked are surrounding the righteous. But the good news is there are a few thousand righteous people! These people continue to do God’s Work, even in the midst of an apostasy.

The Companion Bible says two men are discussed in this verse. One is lawless. He hates every scintilla of God’s law. This is the epitome of Satan’s character. It is amazing that a person can turn so completely against the great, loving God. All indications are that he is possessed by the devil! And he is leading what was God’s own Church!

I marvel at the fact that the prophecies for this end time specifically describe almost every significant individual, and you can know who they are! That is quite different from what has been the case for most of the history of God’s Church!

Lange’s Commentary says that during this court battle, justice was perverted. God let that happen because He wanted us to fight our way through the battle!

This crisis in God’s Church lasted for quite a while. No wonder Habakkuk cried out to God, asking when He would do something about it. Habakkuk nearly had a nervous breakdown! But God allowed these trying conditions to continue because He wanted to learn about His people. The son of perdition and those who went along with that lawless spirit did not love God’s truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10). God wanted to know how many really loved His truth!

Ask yourself personally: How much do you love God’s truth? This is what the six-year court battle was all about. It tested our love for God’s truth. Many of us had to endure severe tests. That is the way it is in God’s Church.

God knows that if we stay faithful to Him and have our heart in the Work, then we love His truth. This is the commitment God is looking for—even if only 5 percent of His people pass the test! God has chosen not to know, until He sees our fruits. He wants to know who loves His truth and who loves Him! He will figure out where each one stands on these two criteria before He accepts anyone into His Family!

Wonder, Wonder

“Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you” (Habakkuk 1:5). This is another fascinating verse in Habakkuk. The Hebrew words translated as “wonder marvelously” mean wonder, wonder—a double wonder. I previously thought it only applied to our court case victory. But God has revealed new truth about this verse, expanding the “wonder, wonder” exponentially!

That victory was a wonderful blessing from God, but there are two specific wonders discussed here. When you combine this verse with Habakkuk 2:11, you are talking about two of the greatest wonders discussed in the Bible!

God promised to revive the Work “in the midst of the years” (Habakkuk 3:2). During the court case crisis, God’s Work was revived because it had virtually come to a stop. We were unable to offer Mr. Armstrong’s material to the world. But God assured that He would revive the Work and that Mr. Armstrong’s literature would be sent out again.

God told us that we would win but we needed to look to Him and be empowered by His Spirit. We need the same attitude Habakkuk had, looking to God for correction (Habakkuk 2:1). We need that spirit of humility and a desire to change.

“Stand upon my watch” is military language. The court battle was a war. The fact that only 5 percent of God’s people are in the pcg today is a testament to this fact! We continue to fight even today; every day is a battle. However, when we have God on our side, we can take on anyone or anything and emerge victorious! That is how this Church survived that court battle, and that is how we continue to survive today.

Verse 2 shows the urgency in our message: The person who reads it must run! No one can afford to slouch or slack off.

When we entered the court case, some people left the pcg. They said we should not be fighting in court. Those individuals didn’t want to do battle for God! They wanted the easy life. But you won’t find the smooth life in God’s true Church. There won’t be a time when you can just sit back and relax. In this case, God’s truth was being cast to the ground! God’s people do not react in a laid-back way when that happens! God’s people will give their lives for the truth if they must!

“For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry” (verse 3). We didn’t understand these prophecies when the court case started. This verse says God would speak in this vision. If you love and are clinging to God’s truth, then God will speak to you. God did speak to us, and He continues to do so today! He has not ceased to give us new revelation.

We will learn more about these two wonders later in this chapter.

The Unjust One

“Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). This refers to two individuals: one who walks by faith; the other who is lifted up by the pride of the devil and actually fights against his Creator!

Verses 5-10 focus on this unjust man. “Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people” (verse 5). This is a man who is trying to take over everything! Satan is using him to commit a terrible evil. He tried to get all the members and prospective members from around the world on his side and, at the same time, destroy God’s truth.

Remember, the main focus of the book of Habakkuk is spiritual.

“Because the imagery is quite concrete,” the Anchor Bible says of verse 5, “it is death as a monster that opens its maw [mouth] …. The insatiable hunger of death is shown by the fact that its meal of the living never ends.” This is about a man possessed by the devil, who is devouring people’s eternal lives! This is how 50 percent of God’s people lose their salvation! A lot of passion, time and money are being devoted to destroying God’s truth.

Verse 6 tells us this man worked to increase “that which is not his!” When we went to court, we were fighting for something that is ours. God gave it to His very elect so we could deliver His message to the world! We had to fight for it! God wanted to see what kind of love we had for Mystery of the Ages, for Jesus Christ and for God the Father!

The same man who tried to suppress the truth in Mystery of the Ages also worked to destroy Mr. Armstrong’s second-most sought-after book, The United States and Britain in Prophecy. This book, more than any other, built the Worldwide Church of God. Notice what Joseph Tkach Jr. wrote in an August 10, 1992, personal correspondence letter: “From a plan of salvation view, in light of the New Testament and the centrality of Christ in God’s plan of salvation, as mentioned above, much of the relevance of our teaching on usbip is reduced to, so what?” You can sense his hostility. He’s condemning Mr. Armstrong, everything he taught about the United States and Britain, and the book that built the Work!

If you lose the history and identity of Israel, then you lose one third of the Bible. The United States and Britain in Prophecy gives us the wonderful vision of Christ ruling on the throne of David! That is the focus of the book—the most important part being that Jesus Christ is going to save all humanity that He can and rule forever!

Verse 9 says the man who stood up against God coveted a house, a royal house or palace, for himself. Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon defines house: “a royal house, a palace.” Another definition is “the house of God, i.e. temple.” This is talking about God’s house, physically and spiritually. This man wanted the membership of God’s Church for his selfish gain!

“Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul” (verse 10). God holds this man guilty of cutting people off from Him. This is the antichrist discussed in 1 John 2:18. What’s happening here is a picture of horror! What is God going to do with somebody who would work so fervently to cut people off from their Creator?

But consider this: What this man did shows not only his satanic intent, but also the spiritual weakness of the people! They were not on fire for God’s truth. They deluded themselves into thinking that their half-hearted dedication was enough to save them. But when this evil man came along and cast the truth to the ground, he was able to cut off many people!

Before Mr. Armstrong’s death, wcg leaders acted as though they were committed to the Work. They appeared righteous. They talked so seriously about obeying God. They said so many heroic things. But when he died, their real fruits were revealed. In this crisis, their real character manifested itself. Overnight, these men turned away from all the truth that God had revealed to Mr. Armstrong, and they left God. It is amazing that they could stand up and preach for all those years, and then just get up and walk away—in some cases for nothing more than a paycheck!

Suddenly, we had a burden on our hands! Initially, I couldn’t believe God would let the Church fall apart like that, with 95 percent of God’s people turning away and most of the ministry abandoning everything they had taught!

Habakkuk 2:5-10 depict a spiritual crisis of tremendous magnitude! Many people thought, How could we turn away from something that we have been committed to for most of our lives? How can people, if they really believed what Mr. Armstrong taught, just turn away? Like Habakkuk, we wondered how long God would allow this to continue!

But all this leads right into the central scripture here—verse 11—where God provides the solution!

The Stone Cries; the Beam Answers!

“For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it” (Habakkuk 2:11).

As I wrote in my booklet on Habakkuk (request a free copy), the “stone” is God; He is “the stone of Israel” (Genesis 49:24). As our Leader and Head, Christ is crying out to the pcg. This Stone is crying out of the wall—right out of the house of God, spiritually and even physically to a certain degree today. Stone, wall, beam and timber are all materials in a physical house, but this is primarily a spiritual house.

The Hebrew word translated “beam” means to join together or connect; it is derived from a root that means “to fasten” and signifies “a connecting girder.” The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary says it is “the cross beam or the main rafter connecting the timbers in the wall.” The beam brings everything together. I wrote in Habakkuk that this beam is Mystery of the Ages. It brings things together because it is a synopsis of the Bible; it connects the whole Bible. We are together and we fight together because we have the most important book since the Bible! Mystery of the Ages connects everything—it is foundational to our understanding! It connects God’s people to each other, and connects us to the whole world, and connects the world to God!

God revealed the truth about Habakkuk 2:11 toward the end of 2002, just as our court case revolving around Mystery of the Ages was reaching its climax. Our court battle began over this book.

Yet I have come to realize that the “beam” in this verse is more than just Mystery of the Ages. That book is the centerpiece, but the “beam” includes everything that happened with that book—all the history of the court case, including all the other writings we obtained in it. The Stone was crying out, and we heard that cry in the midst of those crisis years. Mystery of the Ages and our copyright battle spells out the answer to this crisis!

It also includes the stunning truth revealed in Amos 9:1 that Jesus Christ made a personal appearance during the court battle! The “Stone” came in person; it was a real appearance; it was not just symbolic. While we were battling in court, God was working something out. He was there and He won that battle for us! (We will discuss this in the next chapter.)

When it says, “the beam … shall answer it,” we have to consider everything that happened during the court case. Not only did we obtain the copyright to Mystery of the Ages, but we also received new revelation and had a personal appearance from Jesus Christ Himself to the Church!

Why was it so important that Jesus Christ make a personal appearance when He did? He was concerned about the throne that He will rule on forever. This is something that we have to build our faith in. We didn’t see Him, but we saw what He did!

God, the Stone of Israel, is our Shepherd (again, see Genesis 49:24). He is looking after His sheep. God protects His people if we do our part. Jesus Christ and God the Father look after their sheep like no other shepherd.

Look at the chronology and you see another miraculous blessing that happened in the midst of the court case: We received possession of the new stone of destiny.

Another ‘Stone’ That Cries

Habakkuk 1:6-11 discuss the resurrected Holy Roman Empire conquering America and Britain. This united European power will conquer the people who have the old throne of David and the old stone of destiny (Hosea 3:4). The stone sitting in Scotland is about to be seized by the Holy Roman Empire, and there is no telling what will happen to it beyond that. But God has given a new stone to His Church!

Remember, in the August 1996 Trumpet magazine, I said I believed the stone of destiny in Scotland was “the most precious physical thing on this Earth. I also believe that Queen Elizabeth just made the worst decision of her life! And the British government has made the biggest mistake in its history! [England’s] actions have scorned the omnipotent living God. And there’s going to be a terrifying penalty unless they repent.” I wrote this just before we entered our court battle over Mystery of the Ages.

The stone of Scone was moved out of Westminster Abbey on November 15, 1996. It was officially placed in Edinburgh Castle on November 30. That was the same month my son contacted a copyright lawyer about the legalities of reprinting Mystery of the Ages.

What is more, the process of finding, acquiring and moving Mr. Armstrong’s prayer rock from Oregon to our headquarters campus in Edmond, Oklahoma, took place during the court case years (sidebar: “Timeline of Events”).

Habakkuk says the stone was crying out! The revelation about the new stone of destiny brings another spiritual dimension to this prophecy.

You can certainly see that the Stone, referring to God, was crying out to His people as we fought in the court case. He was crying out for us to act and fight for His truth! But God is also revealing that while Christ was fighting the battle for us, the literal stone—the new stone of destiny, Mr. Armstrong’s prayer rock—was “crying out.” We heard that cry and retrieved the stone. Though we didn’t know it then, Jesus Christ was about to establish a new throne and a new stone!

What a marvelous blessing! Even as we were fighting for Mystery of the Ages, we were being given a new stone of destiny, which led to us receiving a new throne to proclaim God’s wonderful truth to the world! When the stone was crying out of the wall, God was stirring us up and getting us ready to receive the throne of David!

Let me make it abundantly clear what the double wonder is. While we were fighting a six-year court case, the new stone—Mr. Armstrong’s prayer rock—was “crying out.” The rock is Jesus Christ personified. He was crying out for us to retrieve this prayer rock, which was to become the new stone of destiny. This stone symbolizes the throne of David and God’s promise to him, which will climax at the Second Coming of Christ.

We also have a descendant of David to sit on that throne—which means that we have the new throne of David. Britain no longer has the throne of David.

The new stone, which symbolizes the new throne, is the first wonder of the double wonder.

The stone (also a symbol of Christ) cries out. Our court case victory gave us Mystery of the Ages, which answers the stone that cries out: This is the second wonder of the double wonder.

Mystery of the Ages is the synopsis of the entire Bible—the Old and New Testaments. It is the only book on Earth that explains the Bible. It has the answer to the stone’s cry. Mr. Armstrong believed Mystery of the Ages was the second-greatest book on Earth, second only to the Bible. We have the same belief.

Look again at Habakkuk 2:11: “For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.” Habakkuk 2:11 is the single greatest new revelation that God has given the Philadelphia Church of God so far!

It is not just a wonder—it is a double wonder!

Let me make it very clear. First wonder: the new stone and the new throne of David that God has given us. Second wonder: In a six-year court battle, God gave us Mystery of the Ages, the only book on Earth that can answer the stone’s cry!

This is the double wonder that has occurred in this Church!

God is honoring His Church in a wonderful, wonderful way!

We heard the cry of the stone—Jesus Christ made sure of that. We knew we wanted Mr. Armstrong’s prayer rock, a symbol of how Mr. Armstrong built the greatest work ever on Earth! He built it on prayer, going to God continually. He had a prayer rock, which is the focal point of all this symbolism. And now, God has shown us that this rock symbolizes King David’s new throne.

This stone is tied to the man who wrote Mystery of the Ages. God is putting a dramatic spotlight on the man who prepared the way for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. God is honoring this man and telling us to follow his example. There is no stone on Earth like the prayer rock used by God’s end-time type of Elijah. He prepared the way for the Second Coming, and we are here to raise up the ruins.

We received the prayer rock in August 2002. About five months later, the court case ended! In so many ways, this Work continues to revolve around Herbert W. Armstrong, the “signet” of Haggai 2:23. (Request my free booklet on Haggai to understand.) After all, it is his prayer rock, and he was the one God used to write Mystery of the Ages. God orchestrated these events to fulfill Habakkuk 2:11 precisely!

Now, at the time that the United States and Britain are about to die, we have the stone and government of God united. Now the throne is combined with God’s government and law just before the return of Christ! This is one of the greatest achievements that this Church will ever be involved in!

When you look at what happened in the court case revolving around Mystery of the Ages, it is amazing: We received the copyright to Mystery of the Ages and 18 other works, and we were given new revelation. We received all the answers from God! When you understand what God has done, you realize why it is a double wonder.

God has given us the stone—a symbol of the very Head of this Church, Jesus Christ—and Mystery of the Ages, which we must teach to the whole world. What gifts! The Stone cried out, and Mystery of the Ages answered. How these two go together! The Stone is our Head, and if you don’t have the understanding in Mystery of the Ages, you won’t hold on to the Head.

God orchestrated this transition to a new stone and a new throne. Study the chronology and you can see it building. It is deeply significant that the stone of Scone was separated from the throne of David the same month we prepared to print Mystery of the Ages. The prayer rock was acquired at the height of the court case, just before its dramatic conclusion—exactly when God was revealing the truth about the stone and beam in Habakkuk 2:11! The timing of all these events proves that there is an appointed time for everything! We didn’t understand it at the time, but in retrospect, we can see precisely what Christ was doing. Only God could put all this timing together!

Note: There are exactly 14 years from when the court case ended on January 16, 2003, to January 16, 2017, when God revealed that the prayer rock was the new stone of destiny! The number seven means completion or perfection. God tested our faith in the court case, and He gave us the new stone. Then He tested us 14 more years to see if we would really get out and do the Work. It’s as if God said, All right, I’ll give you all that wonderful truth from Mr. Armstrong—but I won’t reveal the truth about the new stone and throne until I see you have proclaimed that wonderful message, especially of Mystery of the Ages! He is testing us, and we have to qualify, step-by-step, to do what God wants us to do! Every one of us has an important part to play in God’s Work!

Isaiah 22: ‘A Glorious Throne’

During the reign of King Hezekiah, Shebna was a corrupt treasurer, similar to Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Christ. Judas was possessed by Satan. An end-time type of this man was directly and personally behind what happened to the Worldwide Church of God after Mr. Armstrong’s death. Satan the devil undoubtedly possessed and led this man, making him his puppet. Because of the wickedness this man committed against God’s Church, God passed a terrifying judgment on him (Isaiah 22:15-19). The end-time Shebna is carving out an eternal tomb for himself!

God stripped Shebna of the leadership of His Church and transferred it to Eliakim (verses 20-21). Regarding this new leader, God says: “And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open” (verse 22). It is about the house of David—descendants of David himself! That truth is critical to our understanding.

God is opening powerful doors for His Work. He gave us victory in the court battle. He has given us David’s throne. He has given us many powerful tools to proclaim His truth around the world—most recently, an airplane! How God is blessing His people!

“And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house” (verse 23). The “father” here is Mr. Armstrong and what he was to all of us. Eliakim is the son of Hilkiah. Mr. Armstrong is in the picture the whole time. He prepared the way for us to have a new stone and a new throne.

But how is Eliakim going to be for a “glorious throne”? What “glorious throne” could this possibly be? This is David’s throne—a glorious throne!

“And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons” (verse 24). The “offspring” are the Laodiceans who repent and come back to God. The “issue” are the 50 percent who lose their eternal lives. The jfb says “issue” refers to “vile things … worthless shoots, excrement.” God says they are like worthless excrement! (Please read Chapter 6 of Isaiah’s End-Time Vision for more information.) If we reject God, then we are like spiritual dung! God will have nothing to do with us.

During the court battle, we made an appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States. The justices refused to even look at our case. But on the same day they rejected our appeal, God began to reveal Isaiah 22 to me. This was God’s way of saying, Don’t worry about the Supreme Court led by man; focus on the Supreme Court in heaven! I will give you the victory!

Isaiah 22 leads right into a prophecy about the place of safety: “In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the Lord hath spoken it” (verse 25). This is referring to God’s Church going to the place of safety. It is clear here and throughout Scripture that when we go to the place of safety, we have the throne of David. We now have that throne. There is no more question as to how we will get it.

Textbook of the World Tomorrow

At the beginning of 2017, at the same time that God revealed the understanding of the new stone, I began a series on Mystery of the Ages for the Key of David television program. God had a strong hand in that. The prophecies in Habakkuk about the court case, the stone and the beam are all connected. God is reminding us who is the Head of this Church!

Habakkuk 2:17 is about the destruction of Lebanon, which was at one time the jewel of the Middle East. God is saying that the entire Earth will soon experience that kind of destruction! The Laodiceans will have to go through this because they are lukewarm; they aren’t excited or on fire for what God has given them. And some of them ended up fighting God and trying to destroy His truth!

But notice where this all leads: “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (verse 14). We are getting ready to fill the Earth with the truth taught in Mystery of the Ages! After the Bible, this will be the main textbook in the World Tomorrow. It is the instruction manual God will use to teach all mankind! This will be the number one book that all mankind will study, after the Bible, because it decodes the Word of God! It contains the most wonderful message you could possibly hear. As God’s kings and priests in embryo (Revelation 1:6), we are preparing to teach the entire world from this book!

God has now given His future kings the very throne that Jesus Christ will return to. We are preserving it for the King of kings. God has given us a lot of proof of this truth. After all, we are kings and priests in embryo, just waiting to be born into the Family of God and rule with Christ as His Bride forever! It is logical that God’s kings and priests, who are about to sit on God’s throne, would possess the stone of destiny that represents the throne and have a man on this throne today!

Our calling has to be real to us. God wants to make this real to His people, and He is making it real! If we learn from the new revelation He is giving us, we will see that. And as we do, that will make us considerably more fervent in our prayers to God so we can emulate Mr. Armstrong’s marvelous example—and get ready for the return of Jesus Christ!

Timeline of Events

November 1996

Stone of Scone is separated from David’s throne and transferred to Scotland. The same month, the pcg begins plans to print Mystery of the Ages.

February 1997

The Worldwide Church of God files a federal lawsuit against the pcg for printing Mystery of the Ages.

August 1998

David Todd moves to Oregon and begins the hunt for sites related to Herbert W. Armstrong, including the prayer rock.

November 2000

Mr. Todd informs Mr. Flurry that he believes he has found Mr. Armstrong’s prayer rock.

April 2002

Gerald Flurry visits Oregon and is shown the prayer rock. Later that month, Mr. Todd acquires the rock.

August 8, 2002

A member and son set out for Oregon to retrieve the rock and bring it to headquarters. Prayers are requested of those attending Philadelphia Youth Camp for its safe arrival.

August 15, 2002

Prayer rock arrives.

August 2002

Depositions reach their high point, which proves to be a real turning point in the court case.

September 2002

Royal Vision publishes “Habakkuk Reveals the Outcome of Our Court Case,” by Gerald Flurry, in which the meaning of the stone and beam was revealed.

January 16, 2003

(anniversary of Herbert W. Armstrong’s death)
Principal terms of the court case settlement are agreed upon; litigation ends.

Continue Reading: The Scepter and the Lawgiver