June 10, 1980  
June 10, 1980 - Brethren & Co-Workers Letter
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Herbert W Armstrong 

HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG
P.O. BOX 431, TUCSON, ARIZONA 85702

June 10, 1980

Dear PLAIN TRUTH Subscribers, Co-Workers, Brethren in Christ:

   This letter is an UPDATE on world news in the light of biblical prophecy. The entire world picture has changed drastically since I last wrote all of you January 3rd.

   These events are going to affect YOUR LIFE, all of our lives!

   So let me bring you up to date. The most recent happening in rela- tion to God's Work is the rehash the CBS program "60 Minutes" gave us last Sunday night. It was largely a rehash of the program they broadcast against us a year ago. But I was indignant at this "yellow journalism," and early Monday morning I wrote a full-page ad to run next Monday, June 16, in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Los Angeles Times—three most prestigious newspapers with a combined circulation of well over two million. Also this letter is going to more than two million readers of The PLAIN TRUTH.

   A copy of the page ad is enclosed. You will notice that many of the largest churches in America have now come to our aid in this lawsuit. I forgot to correct Mike Wallace, in my ad, on what he said about a recent Supreme Court decision. They made NO decision against us—only a decision not to hear the case until it first goes through more California state courts.

   Meanwhile this massive lawsuit of the California state attorney general's office against us is still dormant—"on the back burner"—and our Work is proceeding FULL STEAM AHEAD, AND GROWING!

   At this very moment, as I write, we are waiting for a decision from a committee in the California Assembly on a bill to repeal the bill previously passed, on which the attorney general based his case against us. The State Senate already has voted to repeal. If the committee votes repeal, the repeal bill then will go to the Legislature for final vote. If it passes, it will be a mandate to the attorney general to drop his unconstitutional case against us.

   We feel sure that otherwise it will finally go to the U.S. Supreme Court and there be declared unconstitutional.

   THE LIVING ALMIGHTY GOD IS PROTECTING AND BLESSING HIS GREAT WORLD- WIDE WORK!

   NO CHURCH HAS BEEN SO PERSECUTED! But Jesus said if they persecuted Him, they would us.

   But now to bring you up to date on world news fulfilling the bibli- cal prophecies.

   The Russians have by now poured more than a million troops into Afghanistan. They have met unexpected opposition from mountaineers, but the Soviet Union has shown they are not backing up—THEY NEVER DO unless a stronger military force drives them back. They can pour enough troops in there to hold Afghanistan.

   Now look at that situation. One more small leap on south through Pakistan, and the Soviets will CONTROL THE INDIAN OCEAN AND THE PERSIAN GULF. That is their goal. They then will control THE WORLD'S OIL.

   One more invasion on their southeast into Iran, and they are next door to the Middle East nations of Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Israel. Already, through Eastern European satellite nations, the Russians are right on the West European nations' borders.

   Momentous things have happened since I last wrote you January 3rd. Tito has died. There is much concern over the future of Yugoslavia, a nation which Tito welded together out of several smaller nations with different languages and cultures. It is a question whether the present Committee from these various former smaller nations can hold together. Tito was Communist, but NOT RUSSIAN.

   I have visited Romania twice, and it is Communist, loosely associated with the Russians, yet quite independent.

   In my January 3rd letter I indicated some doubt that the present Pope, John Paul II, would be the pope to fulfill prophecy by uniting the nations of Europe into a revival of the medieval "Holy Roman Empire." But John Paul II now looms as the world's strongest and most powerful leader.

   There are no more super-strong leaders—like Stalin, the man of steel, or Winston Churchill. John Paul II alone is now looming as the world's most powerful man. Since my last letter, he has become the most travelled pope in history. He has toured three African countries. He paid a four-day visit to France—the first pope to visit France in nearly 200 years. France is about 95% Roman Catholic IN NAME, but not devout Catholic. This has concerned the pope greatly, and his visit was made to start correcting this. But it will not be corrected by peaceful means.

   Italy has been slipping rapidly from a state of devout Catholicism. A revival of the "Holy Roman Empire" with the pope at the top would change this lassitude by FORCE. That is the way it was done in the Middle Ages.

   Meanwhile President Carter's debacle trying to rescue the hostages has greatly lowered his credibility in European capitals. Most European nations have refused to go along with the Olympic boycott. They are now AFRAID to offend the Russians.

   At this moment the Soviet Union is in a much stronger military position than the United States. European leaders have rapidly, the past six months, come to lose faith in American ability to protect them from the Soviet power. They know the Russians are NOW ON THE MARCH—now Afghanistan, next Pakistan or Iran, then possibly Yugoslavia.

   European leaders are NOW AFRAID. They no longer have faith in relying on American power.

   The time is now RIPE for John Paul II to offer his good graces to help European nations to come together in a real POLITICAL UNION!

   Last January 3rd, I told you it could happen in the 1980s, or 1990s. Now I tell you it COULD (I do not yet say will) happen in a year! I would not be surprised to see it beginning to go together before the end of this very year. Secret plans may already be under way between European leaders and the Vatican.

   It now looks entirely feasible that Yugoslavia may be included in this revived ROMAN EMPIRE. Also the pope's native Poland and Romania, and possibly Hungary. Add Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and France. There will be a union of TEN nations in the general area of the medieval Roman Empire in the NEW UNITED EUROPE. Probably Holland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden will not be included. But Ireland may. Britain will not! Ireland would make up the TEN!

   I have been forecasting this revived ROMAN EMPIRE publicly since February, 1934!

   Now it MAY go together SUDDENLY, RAPIDLY!

   Fifteen years ago I thought our Work miqht be finished by 1972. But God seemed to DELAY the end of this present world by eight or ten years. But now the prophesied events indicate we are at the time of Romans 9:28: "For He will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness; because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth."

   World events—I WARN YOU SOLEMNLY—indicate God may move SWIFTLY from this point on, and His Work He is doing through us may be COMPLETED now very shortly!

   When the resurrected ROMAN EMPIRE appears, it will form a THIRD WORLD POWER even mightier than Russia or the USA! It will plunge the world into THE GREAT TRIBULATION of Matthew 24:21-22. And even that, God will CUT SHORT for His people's sake! It MAY be upon us now in a matter of months, or a year or so! I say MAY! But I have never said that before.

   God has set me as YOUR WATCHMAN—to watch world events, and WARN you when I see this Great Tribulation really coming. For the sake of your LIFE you had better HEED! I say this solemnly in LOVING CONCERN.

   Many are now beginning to preach Bible prophecies, BUT THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THESE PROPHECIES! The very KEY that unlocks this whole third of the Bible to our understanding has been HIDDEN from them.

   Without this key NO ONE CAN UNDERSTAND the prophecies. They only MISLEAD YOU! Just as Jesus, in Matthew 24, said they would at this time!

   That KEY is the true identity of the USA and the British people in prophecy. WHERE are WE mentioned in God's prophecies? We are actually mentioned more often than any other peoples! Yet this truth has remained hidden. It is EXCITING! It is now TIMELY! It reveals to you WHAT IS NOW NEXT GOING TO HAPPEN TO THE USA AND THE BRITISH PEOPLES! Years ago I circulated millions of copies of the book revealing this KEY truth. It has been out of publication for some time.

   It is now out in a NEW, REVISED, COMPLETE EDITION. It is not a cheap pamphlet, or even a booklet—it is a full (though not large) BOOK! It is vital to YOUR LIFE.

   And so I have decided to offer you this new, revised, updated BOOK, FREE, gratis, as a gift of my love. I want you to have this precious UNDERSTANDING! I want to share it with you. I want to GIVE it to you, on your request.

   So be sure and write me immediately for YOUR FREE copy of The United States and Britain ln Prophecy. READ IT AT ONCE. It may be the most important book you ever read.

With deep love, in Jesus' name,

Herbert W. Armstrong



(The following is a copy of the ad referred to by Mr. Armstrong on page 1, paragraph 4 of the above letter.)

Why,

Mike Wallace, on 60 Minutes did you not tell the plain truth?

   IN 60 Minutes (CBS, June 8) you took a second swat at the WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD.

   You attempted a second "under-the-belt smear" by using the term, "God and Mammon." You covered and misrepresented only part of the financial picture—only that which would defame and discredit the Church of Almighty GOD. YOU called us a "wealthy church." We are not. You made us look wealthy by saying our financial income is greater than that of Billy Graham or Oral Roberts combined. Whether true or false, I respectfully point out that we are a CHURCH. They are merely evangelistic and broadcasting crusades—though the latter also operates a minor university.

   WHY did you not tell the No.1 TV-viewing audience in America that we are a CHURCH of long standing? That the No.1 allocation on our annual budget is the ministerial payroll supporting ordained ministers on all continents of the earth? And that the devoutness of our membership is attested to by the fact that more than 95 percent of all members of our hundreds of local churches faithfully attend services with their children every week?

   WHY did you falsely represent us as having only a financial operation — IGNORING our primary motivation, which is SPIRITUAL, proclaiming the TRUE Gospel message of Jesus Christ to the world and to our baptized members? WHY did you deliberately avoid mentioning that our primary interest, purpose, and activity, is devoutly SPIRITUAL, and that the financial area is only a minor means to that end?

   WHY did you not tell America that this present nearly half-century-old succession of the true Church of God was raised up and has grown on living faith in God and in Jesus Christ our Savior alone—that we never solicit money from the public?—that although our members believe in the Christ-taught doctrine of tithing, the second tithe does not come to the Church, but is saved by members for their own expenses and spiritual enjoyment attending our biblical annual festivals?—that the third tithe is contributed only every third year and goes not into Church operations, but for the support of our widows, orphans and poor, thus taking that burden off the public tax rolls?

   You know well that a half-truth, or a partial truth, can be manipulated to utterly MISLEAD your audience! Even more than an outrageous direct lie. Our attorneys have urged me to sue you for a misleading, defaming and slanderous attack on a sincere, devout, upstanding Christian citizenry. But I prefer to simply tell the public THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH and NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, at our expense. We do not attack or strive to harm anyone!

   In the massive lawsuit brought against GOD'S Church by the office of the California attorney general, such church bodies as the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States, the Catholic League, the Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church, the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs and others, representing 83 million American citizens, have come to our aid.

   These large church bodies do not believe all our doctrines, even as they do not believe one another's, nor we theirs. But they do believe in the First Amendment of the Constitution, guaranteeing the right of freedom of religion. When you subtly back up this lawsuit and attack the Worldwide Church of God on the most-viewed program on national television, you indirectly attacked all other churches. In defending ourselves from this corrupt political attack we defend all other churches in California, and by extension, in America.

   We are comparatively small, yet we fight to uphold the RIGHTS of all churches in this land of the free and home of the brave.

   If you want more information, write to us: The Worldwide Church of God, Box 111, Pasadena, Calif, 91123, or call our toll-free number: (800) 423-4444. In California, call collect (213) 577-5225.

(Mr.Armstrong's signature appeared here)

Herbert W. Armstrong
Pastor General
Worldwide Church of God
Pasadena, California

Publication Date: June 10, 1980
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