Herbert W Armstrong

   But not only that. Most major airline terminals have opened space for giant display islands offering free copies of The PLAIN TRUTH. These display islands are illuminated. They stand 8 feet tall, clear above the heads of customers. They have four sides like a tall cube, each side 3 feet wide. They stand out big from four directions. Each side will have two stacks of PLAIN TRUTHs at the proper height for picking off a copy. These will be pictured for you in full color in the December issue of the GOOD NEWS magazine.

   Among the major airline terminals already open for these giant display islands are Kennedy in New York, O'Hare in Chicago — busiest in the world, Atlanta, third busiest, both Dulles and National terminals in Washington, D.C., Dallas-Fort Worth, Cleveland, Detroit, Miami, Cincinnati, Boston, Seattle, St. Louis. Also, these huge display islands have been placed in Grand Central Station and Pennsylvania Railroad stations in New York and in the World Trade Center, New York.

   Many passengers will plck up a copy of The PLAIN TRUIH to read in flight or on the trains.

   All these new "doors" Christ has opened for his Work should increase PLAIN TRUTH readership almost faster than we can handle the responses. Of course it will cost a great deal. It gives all you brethren multiplied opportunity to be involved, yourselves, in your areas and to pray more diligently for the Work and make additional sacrifices to support the fast-growing Work financially.

   Brethren, I have seen for some time that God has had reasons for HOLDING BACK the progress of the world in its downward plunge to the END of this world and its civilization — and to the beginning of the WORLD TOMORROW under the KINGDOM OF GOD, ruled by Christ and his Church then born into his KINGDOM.

   We have already been a very few years into the prelude of the GREAT TRIBULATION. That is virtually upon us now. Immediately after the Great Tribulation (nuclear World War III) will come the earth-shaking PLAGUES leading to the Second Coming of Christ to RULE THE WORLD!

   But in Revelation 7, you will notice God will again delay events — hold back the plagues until he has sealed the "servants of our God in their foreheads." They are to be sealed to protect them from God's wrath — his plagues upon a defiant, sinning world. The sprinkling of the blood of lambs on the doorposts of houses of Israelites in ancient Egypt, as a protection from God's plagues upon the Egyptians, was a type of this.

   Notice, the 144,000 sealed were already — before being sealed — converted servants of God. In other words, the Church of God of the Philadelphia era! That is OUR CHURCH.

   Now I'm sure God would not seal and protect ONLY adult, baptized members, and leave their children below age of baptism to suffer God's plagues. If those protected include such children, the Church already numbers OVER 100,000. Brethren, membership in the Church is now increasing rapidly. New baptisms are ESCALATING!

   It should be plain to you all that God is now SPEEDING UP his Work. It should be a matter of months now, until our number will reach 144,000!

   We not only need to have this membership increase: WE NEED TO INCREASE ALSO OUR OWN CLOSENESS TO GOD — OUR PRAYER LIFE — OUR BIBLE STUDY — OUR DEDICATED DEEPER INVOLVEMENT IN GOD'S WORK!

   God is already protecting his people; in the recent hurricane Alicia, our people were protected above the majority in the areas affected. God is healing our people, blessing us abundantly. Give him all thanks and praise! And THANK YOU for praying for me, as I know you are.

   Look forward now to a TREMENDOUS FEAST OF JOY AND REJOICING! God DOES LAVISH his richest BLESSINGS on us. Be sure to give him heartfelt THANKS and PRAISE!