Herbert W Armstrong

The PLAIN TRUTH a Magazine of Understanding
BOX 111, Pasadena, Calif. 91109

HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG, Editor

June 21, 1967

Dear Friend and PLAIN TRUTH Subscriber:

   I wanted personally to write you earlier this month. But the Arab-Israeli War changed all my plans — and I am remaining in England, on our Ambassador College campus here, awaiting the arrival of an official of the Jordan Government with whom I have a conference arranged.

   I had intended to fly back to Pasadena yesterday. But the flash war in the Middle East is of SUPREME IMPORTANCE to YOU — to me — to all PLAIN TRUTH subscribers. And I WANTED TO TELL YOU WHY!

   Frankly, as conditions are now, I shall have to make this letter much more brief than my Semi-Annual personal letters to our subscribers usually are — so I can yet today telephone this letter by radio to our World Headquarters at Pasadena, where it will be typed and mailed direct to you.

   These quickening, accelerating world disturbances are striking close to me, personally. They are forcing me to realize how REAL are these world troubles. They show the END of this world is fast swooping down upon us! The time has come to AWAKE to the seriousness of recent world trends!

   Two months ago, I was in Jerusalem — the old city in Jordan — and in Amman, capital of Jordan, in conference with government officials there. I knew then from Biblical prophecies, that the Jews were going to flood over the "no-man's land" barrier between the Israeli and Arab sectors of Jerusalem. I detected, too, that the Jordanian officials expected it. Stopping off at our College campus here in England, returning to Pasadena, I spoke before an assembly of several hundred at the College. I said then that I expected this war inside of about a month. You have, of course, read what I said then as it was tape-recorded in the Editorial, page 3, the June PLAIN TRUTH.

   But first, on leaving Jerusalem and Amman, I stopped off at Nicosia, Cyprus, where we were opening a new branch office. On Sunday morning, April 23, I went to the airport to board a plane for London. The plane was about four hours late in taking off. They didn't tell us why. We made a stop at Athens, and there I learned the reason. Just after midnight that morning, there had been a MILITARY OVERTHROW of the GOVERNMENT OF GREECE, — another very recent world TROUBLE SPOT. And now, since then, comes the explosion of the first hydrogen bomb by Red China.

   I was due back in Jerusalem, Jordan to put on the very first broadcast of Christ's true Gospel from Jerusalem in approximately 100 19-year time-cycles — 1900 years. The first broadcast was scheduled for June 7, at 8:05 p.m. I wanted to broadcast that program in person FROM JERUSALEM, although succeeding programs were to be broadcast by tape recording. Early Monday morning, June 5, I was being driven by car to London airport to board a nonstop jet flight to Beirut — flying there to Jerusalem. But we heard, over the car radio, that the war had started.

   I did not take that plane. It took off, but it never landed at Beirut. It was put down at Athens. So once again, I was brought into close personal contact with this most significant flash war.

   In a sense, I have to be your eyes and ears in seeing, watching and reporting to you these world happenings. But MOST IMPORTANT is WHAT THESE WORLD ERUPTIONS MEAN!

   The news gatherers and reporters of the world's newspapers, magazines, and radio and television newscasters DO NOT KNOW what these things mean — or where they are immediately leading! You have to understand BIBLICAL PROPHECIES before you can know!

   I'm sure you know that The PLAIN TRUTH has trained correspondents, regional editors, photographers, stationed in all parts of the world. From our offices in England, Duesseldorf, Geneva, Johannesburg, Nicosia, Sydney, Manila, and various parts of the United States and Canada, we fly our own press correspondents and photographers to all the world "trouble spots" or important INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES of major nations. We "cover" the important world events, the same as news magazines, newspapers, and other magazines — with our own trained men — who understand Biblical Prophecies! Often, in The PLAIN TRUTH, we actually "scoop" the big national news magazines with on-the-spot color pictures of these big world events — even though they publish weekly and we only monthly!

   And, by the way — before I tell you what this Jew-Arab War means — here's BIG NEWS!

   Beginning the July number, The PLAIN TRUTH has at last reached the world-wide circulation of ONE-MILLION COPIES!!!! That is HUGE circulation! It makes The PLAIN TRUTH now one of the truly BIG MAJOR magazines of the world!

   But now I want to get to the point!

   I want to try to make plain a little of WHAT THIS ISRAELI- ARAB WAR REALLY MEANS!

   It is interesting to know that it all started from a jealousy of two women over one MAN! But it's IMPORTANT here that JERUSALEM and the Middle East holds the key to the WORLD WAR III that is going to END this present world! It is from there that ARMAGEDDON will be triggered. It is right there — in Palestine — that the Armageddon battle will be fought!

   And it is THERE — just across from Jerusalem — on the Mount of Olives — that the Almighty JESUS CHRIST, with all the SUPREME POWER and GLORY of the Living GOD will once again put foot on this earth, coming to RULE ALL NATIONS and bring us WORLD PEACE, prosperity and happiness AT LAST! This war was a CRUCIAL, CRITICAL, IMPORTANT event, paving the way — signaling to those who understand, the now very imminent final World War III — that could — and WOULD, unless CHRIST comes to prevent it — BLAST ALL HUMAN LIFE OFF THIS PLANET!

   I wish I could take space, right now in this letter, to EXPLAIN these exciting PROPHECIES! They are BEING FULFILLED before your eyes! The TIME is NOW! — not some future generation but NOW!!!

   But that's a little too long a story to put in this brief letter. So I am doing the next best thing. I am writing it for you in a NEW BOOK which I hope will be ready for mailing by the time your reply from this letter reaches me. (OF COURSE IT IS ABSOLUTELY FREE!!!)

   This book is one that I have been wanting to write for a long time. It is an enlargement — with much new material — many new chapters into a real BOOK — of the abbreviated one which has been requested more than any we have ever published — "The United States and British Commonwealth in Prophecy." I think we shall shorten that title to, "America and Britain in Prophecy." Profusely illustrated, full-color!!

   Do you realize WHY almost no one understands Biblical prophecies? It is because they do not know WHO the prophecies are talking about. They talk about GERMANY today — but almost no one knows how Germany is identified in the prophecies. For the name "Germany" is not to be found in the Bible. Nor is the name Russia, nor Soviet — yet they are prominently mentioned in the prophecies — and I mean Twentieth-Century Russia! The same is true of the United States, the British nations (with Australia, Canada. South Africa), France. So are the Israelis, but not by that name or by the name "Israel." The Arab nations are spoken of but not by the name "Arab," or "Jordan."

   They are spoken of by the names of their ancient ANCESTORS. The TURKS are prominently mentioned but not by that name! There is a REASON why the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Saudi-Arabia — with whose officials God has given me contact and favor — have even had their internal differences and hostilities with the other Arab kingdoms of Egypt, Syria, and others. And why these have had their family differences with the Moslem Turkish people. The Turks are descended from Esau. The Jordanians from Lot, the nephew of Abraham. And the other Arabs from Ishmael, the son of Abraham.

   Then WHY the Jew-Arab strife, jealousies, and hatred? I'll take space here to let you in on this one exciting piece of romance. It came from an ancient jealousy of two women over one man. The two women were Sarah, wife of Abraham, and Hagar, Sarah's handmaid. Sarah was barren. She took Hagar to her husband, thinking she could have a child by her handmaid! But it didn't work that way. The child was Hagar's not Sarah's. God performed a miracle, and gave Sarah her own child by Abraham, when she was in her nineties! That child was Isaac. So, great jealousy was engendered between the two women over the child and over Abraham. The Jews are descended from Isaac. The Arabs from Ishmael, son of Hagar. God had made PROMISES to Abraham — of tremendous national supremacy and WORLD POWER! The Arabs wanted it. They are children of Abraham! The Turks wanted it — and for over 600 years did possess most of the Holy Land! They are the children of Esau, who sold that birthright to Jacob. The Jews are descended from Jacob.

   Many thrilling new chapters are added to this new book. The PROPHECIES showing what is going to HAPPEN to the United States and British nations IN ABOUT FIVE MORE YEARS are explained! None of this was in the small booklet, of which we have sent out more than a million copies.

   It is VITAL to you that you UNDERSTAND this. IT MAY MEAN A MATTER OF LIFE OR DEATH FOR YOU, individually, to know — and TO KNOW HOW you may escape some of the terrible troubles soon to strike America and Britain. God has given PROMISES! If you conform to His CONDITIONS then THIS TROUBLE WILL NOT COME NEAR YOU! YOU NEED NOT FEAR — IF YOU KNOW!

   I want you to know and BE SAFE, with all my heart. I am writing every hour of every day, to complete this book quickly. It is about 90% completed. It is a big task — but I am working very hard on it. I hope to have your FREE copy ready for mailing by the time your request reaches me. If not, there may have to be a slight delay. I know you will BE PATIENT if there is a delay — but I promise you — I'll HURRY as fast as I can!

   You know WE HAVE NOTHING TO SELL. Our Work is GOD'S WORK — and also a PUBLIC SERVICE in the PUBLIC INTEREST, carried on by Ambassador College. I'm sure you know there will be no follow-up — no request for money (unless you, yourself, of your own free will invite it). No one will call on you (again, unless you personally request it. We would not refuse a personal conference or counseling and giving personal help and explaining the Bible to any who request it — and we do have Ambassador-College-trained men and ministers all over the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia. South Africa, and around the world, close enough to visit almost anyone who requests it — but we will never initiate such a call!)

   I'm sure you UNDERSTAND, regardless of false accusations by persecutors, that we NEVER request contributions (UNLESS you, yourself first invite it) — we NEVER request contributions over the air — there is no price on any of our literature — all is FREE, with no request for money. Your subscription to The PLAIN TRUTH has been paid by OTHERS — there is NO CHARGE TO YOU for your own subscription.

   I'm sure you do realize THERE IS NO OTHER WORK OR OPERATION ON EARTH LIKE THIS! Of course we DO have voluntary Co-Workers, who have become so on their OWN initiative, and who really WANT to have a part in this Work of God, and whose tithes and offerings DO make this great Worldwide WORK OF GOD possible! WE DO NOT SOLICIT new Co-Workers. We WELCOME new Co-Workers who wish to become Co-Workers — but WE WILL NEVER ASK YOU — AND WE THANK YOU SINCERELY, FROM THE HEART, for ALLOWING us to serve you, send you The PLAIN TRUTH, send The WORLD TOMORROW Program, wherever you are in the world — send you our free literature — it is more blessed to give than to receive!

   So I DO REQUEST and URGE you to give me the joy of sending you FREE, without cost or obligation, this special copy that I am reserving for YOU of this exciting, new BOOK "America and Britain in Prophecy." I know it will please the Living Jesus Christ — and I want to please HIM!

   Be sure to let me know immediately that you would like to have me send it.

   THANK YOU for your interest in The PLAIN TRUTH — the number ONE world news magazine! THANK you for listening to The WORLD TOMORROW Broadcast!

With sincere love, in Jesus' name,
Herbert W. Armstrong