Wim Malgo

Wim Malgo (born October 3, 1922 in Maassluis , Netherlands ; † August 8, 1992 in Dübendorf , Switzerland ) was a Swiss evangelist, preacher and writer. Frequently mentioned by him topics were Israel and the end times .

Life

Malgo grew up in Leiden , was brought up as a Christian and began training as a sailor , but broke it off in 1939. In 1942 he was sent to Austria for forced labor. After 1945 he attended the Bible school of Saturnin Wasserzug and Gertrud Wasserzug-Traeder in Beatenberg (Switzerland) for two years , where he met his future wife Annie Schouten. With her he had seven sons and five daughters. He then evangelized as a tented missionary and on street missions .

In 1956 Malgo founded the Midnight Call Mission for radio missions and in 1961 the overseas mission with stations mainly in South America. The news from Israel was added to the monthly newspaper Midnight Call , which he published .

In 1978 the newly built Zion Hall was inaugurated in Dübendorf on the outskirts of Zurich . Malgo received an honorary doctorate in literature from the American Christian College in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In his books, Malgo presented himself very confidently, e.g. B. in his judgment on other church personalities:

“You have to hear theology professors like that talk about what boring stuff is being talked about, or read what the Pope says, for example; pious talk without spiritual substance. But the crowd is pouring in, hundreds of thousands of people, although what the man says is so empty and meaningless that one asks in horror: Where are we today? "

Positions

End time announcements

The near end was a major theme in Malgo's books and magazines. The Free Book What Does the Bible Say About the End of the World? appeared in over 20 languages. More than a million copies were distributed in German. As a rule, he did not name a specific point in time for the end of the world, but made it clear that it was imminent:

"If at the time these lines went to press the Soviets have not yet reached the Persian Gulf and have not yet overrun Israel, it is needless to say that this final Russian aggression is imminent."

Malgo said that the second coming of Christ will take place at the latest in 2007 (i.e. 40 years after 1967, when Israel won the Six Day War ) and accordingly the seven years of tribulation at the latest in 2000. According to Malgo, it would not make sense for the future to be so close to the end save up; but, as he observed with horror,

“There are still children of God who dare to accumulate money in their bank accounts; they live on their interest and compound interest. [...] What happens to your savings if the rapture takes place today? These funds, which you could have invested in the cause of Jesus Christ, then become the property of the Antichrist . "

Malgo was convinced that there would be no reunification of Germany:

“The attempts to reunify Germany will fail until the conflict between the peoples at Armageddon . After the old Roman Empire it will come about that the Soviet Union will overrun Western Europe to the Rhine. After studying the word and the limits of the ancient Roman Empire, we cannot come to any other conclusion. "

Friend of Israel

Malgo's end-time occupation is pervaded by his partisanship for Israel. Its political and military actions are almost always defended. Malgo strongly associates Israel with light, while other nations represent darkness. He sees “the deepest roots of the ongoing Middle East conflict” in the divine divorce between light and darkness. He also sees Europe as affected by the darkness:

“United Europe is predominantly Roman Catholic, and Rome is and will remain Israel's greatest and most dangerous enemy. […] How can we expect a pro-Israel attitude from a decadent and demoralized Europe that prefers darkness, the swamp of immorality, to light? - Then God separated light from darkness. "

Such a dichotomy of the political world leads to statements such as that the EC is dominated by Roman Catholics or that the Catholic Church is Israel's most dangerous enemy.

Criticism of peace efforts

Malgo occasionally criticizes Israel's policy when efforts to achieve peace are inconsistent with his understanding of Old Testament promises (he has a “ Greater Israel ” in mind , which includes the Sinai Peninsula ). The peace treaty between Egypt and Israel in 1979 therefore judged Malgo very skeptical - he would not bring peace. Because, Malgo was sure: "The Lord is not there!"

Political assessments

The opinion that the end of the world was on the verge of the end of the world led Malgo, in connection with his strong orientation towards Israel, to a distorted political perception. So he said in 1974:

"Egypt got a reactor and the necessary fuel and, despite American control, is able to manufacture atomic bombs itself."

In all global political conflicts, Malgo sees the State of Israel as the real object of contention. He already sees an alliance in the rapprochement between two states - which will ultimately take action against Israel:

“Just think of the peace treaty between China and Japan, which was celebrated as a historical event. As a result, two great peoples were melted together against [...] Israel. Then we have to consider the earth-shattering union of China and America. [...] with America and China merging, America is turning away from Israel. "

A questionable quote

Sometimes Malgo adapted a quote to the changed situation. In 1984 he cited a "recent report" in which z. B. "the current retrofitting of the USA by President Reagan" was addressed. In the new edition of 1990, he made the “newer report” simply a “report”. The mention of Ronald Reagan ( US President 1981–1989) would have shown the reader that the report was several years old. Malgo changed the quote - which spanned almost one page - so that he simply wrote "the current rearmament of the USA" , but without indicating the omission of "by President Reagan" . And at a later point in the quote, he tacitly changed the "Reagan Administration" to "US Administration" . With this quote, Malgo gave neither a receipt nor a date of the report from the start.

Conservative attitude

A hallmark of Malgo was his conservative attitude towards social issues. His biblical interpretation often led to such conservative results; B. with regard to the treatment of asylum seekers . Malgo was once asked: “As a man of God, what is your position on the asylum seeker problem in Switzerland?” He justified his answer with a psalm:

“To the asylum seekers, if they have any idea of ​​the Bible, I would like to call out the word of God from Psalm 37: 3b: 'Stay in the country and nourish yourself honestly.' I mean his country; because the asylum seeker, whether in Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Great Britain or whatever nation he is, will again and again have to struggle with his otherness as a problem. He just belongs in his own country, although I don't want to go into the problem of the physical threat in his country. "

Malgo leaves out the real problem of asylum seekers; thus his answer applies more to “economic refugees”.

Malgo also articulated the conservative unease in view of the changes in the present in questions of fashion:

“The long-maned young man who looked like a woman before his conversion will soon go to the hairdresser and get his hair cut by the action of the Holy Spirit in him. Likewise, a young woman who is born again to a living hope will soon become disgusted with dressing like a man in pants; their appearance will change over time. "

Fonts

• Israel - the sign on the wall . 1974
• In the shadow of Armageddon . Midnight call, Verlag Große Freude: Pfäffikon / Switzerland undated (approx. 1977)
• The accelerated deployment of Russia to Israel . 1980
• Constellations of salvation history from 1948 to 1982 . Midnight call, Verlag Große Freude: Pfäffikon / Switzerland undated (approx. 1980)
• What does the Bible say about the end of the world? Midnight call: Pfäffikon / Switzerland, 14th edition 1990 [first edition probably 1982/83]
• Total Control 666 . Midnight call: Pfäffikon / Switzerland, 1984

literature

• Franz Graf-Stuhlhofer : "The end is near!" The mistakes of the end-time specialists 3rd edition, Verlag für Kultur und Wissenschaft, Bonn 2007 (first edition Gießen 1992), pp. 198–212, ISBN 978-3-938116-30- 2 (= theological teaching and study material , volume 24),

Web links

• Literature by and about Wim Malgo in the catalog of the German National Library
• Short biography of Wim Malgo
• Wim Malgo's world end expectation

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Sometimes you can even find the author's name as "Dr. Wim Malgo" on the front cover of a book; B. in the book Constellations of Salvation History .
2. ^ Wim Malgo: Israel , 1974, p. 24.
3. ↑ Malgo: Aufmarsch , p. 97.
4. ↑ Malgo: Aufmarsch , pp. 57–59.
5. ↑ Malgo: Aufmarsch , p. 65. Malgo refers to Matthew 6:19: “Do not collect treasures on earth”.
6. ↑ Malgo: Schatten , p. 80.
7. ↑ Malgo: Schatten , p. 71.
8. ↑ Malgo: Schatten , p. 75.
9. ↑ Malgo: Heilsgeschichtliche, p. 34.
10. ↑ Malgo: Israel , p. 165.
11. ↑ Malgo: Heilsgeschichtliche , p. 25f. (probably written in 1980).
12. ↑ Malgo: Bible , p. 29.
13. ↑ Midnight Call , Oct. 1988, p. 18.
14. ↑ Malgo: Heilsgeschichtliche , p. 70f.