Herbert W. Armstrong was single-minded about preaching the Gospel, sometimes without financial savvy. It is possible that for many, Herbert Armstrong had become an icon. The scattering of the Worldwide Church of God could have been caused by members making him a type of idol. As soon as the icon died, the income and membership started to plummet. Herbert Armstrong was not the Elijah, but he was an apostle—one bearing a message. There apparently were four categories of apostles; Herbert Armstrong could possibly be in the fourth level along with Barnabas or Silas. Herbert Armstrong spent his life bearing a message, speaking to his generation in a way it could understand.