HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG P.O. BOX 431, TUCSON, ARIZONA 85702
February 18, 1980
Dear Brethren and Co-Workers with CHRIST:
The world this minute stands on the very brink of the FINAL NUCLEAR WORLD WAR! There has never yet been a nuclear war! It could ERASE ALL HUMAN LIFE FROM THIS PLANET!
It won't happen. But we do need to know and UNDERSTAND the real GRAVITY of the world situation AT THIS MINUTE!
For the past ten years it has appeared that God has been holding up the progress of prophesied world events toward the "GREAT TRIBULATION" and the final "ARMAGEDDON" at Christ's second coming. It had seemed that many of these climactic events in the world should have begun by 1972. But God will not hold them up forever. It appears now that things are happening much faster toward the grand CLIMAX at the CLOSE of this age.
The whole world stands poised, now, for these major climactic world movements.
Of SPECIAL INTEREST to you and me is the question of whether these events involving the U.S.S.R. will prevent the fulfillment of my official invitation from the Kremlin to visit Soviet leaders in Moscow. More of that later, but let me say here that if President Carter does not take action to PREVENT— if that door which CHRIST has opened is still open, I SHALL GO!
Where is this world at the moment?
For more than 100 days the U.S. has been so absorbed with the plight of the 50 hostages in Iran, the government has not realized that the REAL DANGER has been Russia all the time. Of course the R E A L D A N G E R is something else of which the Washington politicians are still unaware. Yet it is now MOVING!
President Carter warned the Soviets against invading Afghanistan. He called Mr. Breshnev personally on the HOT LINE! Breshnev considered Mr. Carter to be a weak president who would do nothing. Soviet troops, up to 100,000 or more, poured into Afghanistan.
Mr. Carter began to do something. He put a grain embargo against Russia into effect. He threatened to boycott the Olympic games, scheduled to be held in Moscow this summer. To the Russians these games are a big government project. All other countries may enter only AMATEUR athletes. In Russia the system is different. The government runs EVERYTHING, even athletics. Though the Soviets call their athletes amateurs, they are actually in government employ and in real fact are PROS! Then Mr. Carter set a deadline for boycotting the Olympic games—February 20.
Washington has gotten a resolution through the United Nations against Russia. But they laugh at that wrist-slap. Nothing but equal or stronger MILITARY FORCE speaks their language! Sanctions, resolutions—they laugh at!
But now Mr. Carter has said that entrance of the Soviet military forces into the Persian Gulf WILL MEAN WAR!
Now WAIT A MINUTE!!! Breshnev and his fellows at the Kremlin will THINK THAT ONE OVER! So must Mr. Carter's administration!
1) The U.S. does not want to fight a nuclear war with Russia. Russia does not want to fight a nuclear war with the U.S. They could DESTROY EACH OTHER!
2) The U.S. does not have the military ability to fight Russia with conventional warfare in her own backyard—the Persian Gulf—so far from the U.S., American forces would either LOSE, or be forced to turn such war into a NUCLEAR war! The Kremlin, of course, knows that also.
3) President Carter has DRAWN THE LINE. If the Soviets cross it—it's WAR! (Or else a TOTAL loss of face for the U.S.A. and prestige in the world.) Now what will the Soviets DO? It's their move! Will they decide Mr. Carter is too weak to back up his threat of WAR, and decide they may go ahead and get away with it? I do not think so. I think that is a chance the Kremlin will not take. I think, as I wrote before, the Russian Bear will slow down its pace, go ahead and make their intervention in Afghanistan solid and complete, keep poised, READY to invade Yugoslavia, or Germany, Austria, France, AS A THREAT in a stepped-up WAR OF NERVES!
Now, meanwhile, the IMPORTANT consideration is WHAT IS HAPPENING IN EUROPE?
The President has sent two high emissaries to try to swing European nations (NATO members) over to the U.S. side—to boycott the Olympics.
As I write, President Tito of Yugoslavia is at point of death. News reports say he has passed the "point of no return." His death will SPEED UP the prophesied resurrection of the medieval "Holy Roman Empire" in Europe.
Josip Broz Tito is just two months older than I. He would be 88 May 25.
Russian troops have been massing near the Yugoslav border recently. This is stirring excitement and concern in Europe and in Washington. President Carter recently had a private telephone conversation with Tito. He has promised military aid, in case of Soviet invasion. Military aid in this case evidently means sending military arms and supplies.
Now just what will happen?
The whole world stands poised, now, for major climactic events, as things move much more swiftly toward the grand CLIMAX AT THE CLOSE OF THE AGE. The world crisis DEEPENS week by week. News is happening MUCH FASTER now. God is NO LONGER HOLDING WORLD EVENTS BACK.
The furor President Tito's imminency of death has caused in Europe and Washington means this: The Russian Bear will stand poised, READY to invade Yugoslavia. It is vital and important to the U.S.S.R.'s plans for WORLD domination to take possession of Yugoslavia. But because of the reaction AGAINST a Soviet strike into Yugoslavia right on the heels of their intervention in Afghanistan, I think Moscow will NOT invade Yugoslavia immediately, but stand poised and READY, thus provoking a WAR OF NERVES!
But neither the Kremlin nor the Administration in Washington remotely suspects what actually will happen.
Herr Schmidt has taken a course that is humiliating for a German who fought in Hitler's army to take. He is unwilling to stand up with the U.S. against Russia if Soviet forces cross Carter's line at the Persian Gulf.
The same attitude is taken in France, Italy, Austria, Belgium. But as I said, that is a humiliating stand for European leaders to take. They take it because in this chess power play Russia has massed forces threatening West European nations, as well as threatening to enter and control the Persian Gulf. And the Persian Gulf control would give the Russians CONTROL OF MOST OF THE WORLD'S OIL!
Now do not for a moment suppose that West European leaders are going to take this humiliating stand, refusing to line up against Russia, without counter-measures!
The Red Army threat will SPEED UP even faster the plans now going on secretly between certain heads in Europe and the Vatican, to bring back to life the so-called HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, with the Pope riding "the Beast."
The Russian troops rushed into Afghanistan, the threat of a Red Army invasion of Iran "to settle the confusion there," the threat of massed forces on the borders of Western Europe, all combine to arouse leaders in Europe, especially West Germany, France and Italy, to the point almost of consternation. They must move and they must now move FAST!
There will now be an effort to bring Yugoslavia into the Holy Roman Empire alliance! There will be strong pressure from the Vatican, in view of the Pope's visit to his native Poland, to bring Poland into the new United States of Europe. If Yugoslavia and Poland go in, then expect at least Rumania also to go in.
Prophecy says there will be TEN NATIONS (or groups of nations such as Benelux) but it does not say WHICH nations. The WHICH nations is speculation, but current rapid-fire news happenings do give us significant clues.
Yugoslavia is a country made up of three former small nations, each with its own language. At the San Francisco Conference, summer of 1945, where the Charter for the UNITED NATIONS was drawn up, I had a long private interview with a former Prime Minister of one of these countries. He told me of how the new Communist government took farms and businesses away from owners— the government suddenly owned EVERYTHING!
You may be sure the West European leaders are conferring hurriedly and secretly about HOW and HOW SOON they may UNITE and provide a united EUROPEAN MILITARY FORCE so they can DEFEND THEMSELVES! And so they will no longer have to give in meekly to Russia! And WHO WILL THEY BLAME for their humiliation and their necessity NOW to have a UNITED EUROPE, with a united GOVERNMENT, a COMMON CURRENCY, and a COMMON MILITARY FORCE AS GREAT OR GREATER THAN EITHER THE U.S.S.R. OR THE U.S.A.? They will blame the United States! And when they are strong enough to assert themselves, they will first attack Britain for standing firm with the U.S., and then they will return a lot of hydrogen bombs the U.S. has stored now in Europe!
SO SAYS ALMIGHTY GOD IN HIS WORD!
They can unite ONLY through the Vatican. It will be a CHURCH-STATE union. It won't last long, but will create HAVOC unprecedented!
TIME IS NOW SHORT and rapidly GROWING SHORTER! We need to be sure GOD'S CHURCH IS 100% BACK ON THE TRACK, and READY for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to RULE ALL NATIONS—and bring PEACE, PROSPERITY, and ETERNAL SALVATION TO ALL NATIONS!
We are NOT YET 100% back on the track of our GOD—although Christ has made tremendous progress the past year and a half in getting us back. Let's NOW renew our vigor, the intensity and earnestness of our prayers, our UNITED spirit of TOGETHERNESS! GOD IS WITH US!
Finally my MOSCOW VISIT. Mr. Rader ought to be in Moscow by the time you read this, making final arrangements for my visit. I have decided that, since I am officially invited, and for conferences with top Kremlin leaders, that UNLESS President Carter makes our passports invalid there, I shall walk right through the doors Jesus Christ has opened—probably early May.
And remember, brethren, this has been the shortest month of the year, which reduces income for God's Word—so PRAY about it, and send offerings as generously as you are able.
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