July 16, 1982  
July 16, 1982 - Brethren & Co-Workers Letter
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Herbert W Armstrong 

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

London, England

July 16, 1982

Dear Brethren and Co-workers with Christ:

   This time I write from London, England, returning from a meeting with King Hussein of Jordan at his palace in Amman. Here I have a meeting scheduled with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and also another meeting with HRH Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales and heir to the British throne (the throne of the ancient King David, if Jesus Christ as King of kings does not come and take over that throne before Prince Charles inherits it).

   Tomorrow, Sabbath, I fly to Paris to speak to the Paris church.

   This morning's London Times front-page headlines show the present state of the world in which you and I live. All news is BAD news — violence, wars, strife, trouble, unhappiness, suffering. The right-hand top column says of the war at Beirut, "BEGIN ON 'DIVINELY ORDAINED WAR'." Next to it, "IRANIANS 4 1/2 MILES FROM BASRA" in Iran's war with Iraq. King Hussein is allied with Iraq in this war and flew to this war front a week ago today while I was in Amman. Two big headlines on the rail strike here in England — a bitter struggle. One big headline on police security at Buckingham Palace. An intruder had climbed over the barbed-wire top of the high wall surrounding the palace, climbed in through a window, got into the Queen's bedchamber and could easily have assassinated her. Of course that's been big news in London. All other front page news this morning is just more BAD news.

   The GOOD NEWS is that we are MUCH NEARER the END of this final, grand-smash CRISIS at the END of this present world and civilization — and much more near to the KINGDOM OF GOD and the NEW and happy WORLD TOMORROW than you have realized!

   In Amman, Jordan, I had to wait five whole days to see King Hussein. As I said, he had to fly to the battlefront where his troops are fighting while I was there. He has nothing but TROUBLE to contend with on every side. After the 1967 war, when the Israelis took over the West Bank in Palestine from Jordan, Communist and terrorist propaganda began stirring up discontent and hatred against the Israelis. Yassir Arafat led this terrorist war against the Israelis and built up the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), making headquarters in West Beirut. This also brought on civil war in the city of Beirut, with the Arab faction against the Christians. When this was just starting, I had private meetings with President Suleiman Franjieh of Lebanon, a Christian (Roman Catholic), and the prime minister, an Arab. The beautiful city of Beirut, then financial capital of the Arab world, was almost destroyed in that civil war. Out of it, Yassir Arafat emerged with a sizable military force, well armed with major weapons by the Soviet Union. But Arafat carried on his terrorist activities, even hijacking aircraft with many women and children aboard from nations unconcerned in the Palestinian-Israeli dispute, threatening to blow up hundreds of innocent lives unless other nations acceded to Arafat's demands against Israel.

   I am staying at the Dorchester Hotel in London. I was here in March. A few days after I left, a PLO terrorist shot an Israeli official outside the front entrance of this hotel. That provoked the present assault of Israeli forces to drive Arafat's PLO army out of West Beirut. As I write this morning the Israeli siege in Beirut is still going on.

   But even if they succeed in driving Arafat and his army out and capturing all Arafat's heavy military equipment from the Soviet Union, there are still three other terrorist leaders with their guerrilla-trained bands, each bent on individual assassinations, bombings and terrorist activities to keep trouble stirred up.

   At the start of Arafat's terrorist activities, King Hussein kicked Arafat out of Jordan. That is when Arafat established his base of operations in West Beirut. The Arab nation Syria, north of Lebanon, has been friendly to Arafat. The whole Arab world is divided into at least three Moslem religious sects — so the Arab world is divided. All this, with the Israeli state adjoining Jordan, is keeping King Hussein very troubled and very busy almost day and night. When I was in Amman to see him in March, the King was called in the middle of the night to rush to the airport and fly to Iraq, where his army, allied with Iraq, was in an offensive against Iran. I didn't get to see him on that trip. And even on this trip, when he finally managed to clear time to see me, he kept waiting in another room in the palace the chief advisor to President Mubarak of Egypt who had flown to Amman with a special confidential message from the Egyptian president.

   Incidentally, I know many of you seem to have your hearts set on going very soon to Petra as "the place of safety" during the soon-coming Great Tribulation. Well, GET YOUR MINDS OFF PETRA. Brethren, I HAVE NEVER said that Petra definitely is the place of protection where God will take us. I HOPE IT IS NOT! One reason it could be the place is that it is a place NOBODY ELSE WOULD WANT TO GO. It would be the most UNpleasant, UNcomfortable, miserable place you could go! There is nothing to be desired there. But, just in case, God HAS miraculously given me very gracious favor in the eyes of King Hussein and also his brother, the Crown Prince. They are very friendly to me personally. And through the Ambassador Foundation, I am keeping up a very close assistance and cooperation with a Jordan school for retarded children, a project carried on by Princess Sarvath, wife of the Crown Prince — even to the extent of planning to send some trained Ambassador College personnel to be stationed there to help train teachers for this school, and otherwise help expand its operations. It is a very worthy cause, and the King and the people of Jordan do appreciate what we are doing to cooperate with them in this.

   Also I am to produce a few TV programs that the King's TV station may wish to send out on the air over their TV facilities. This, incidentally, will also reach the "cities of Judah" (see Isaiah 40:3-10, especially verses 9-10). God has providentially opened the door for me to get this warning to the "cities of Judah."

   Brethren, THE TIME IS NOW! Your offerings and God's tithes are behind that voice crying in the spiritual wilderness of modern religious confusion, even as John the Baptist was a voice crying in the physical wilderness of the Jordan River, preparing for Christ's Second Coming. And this voice will be reaching across that same Jordan River!

   I have been reading the book of the Archduke Otto von Habsburg of Austria on The Social Order of Tomorrow. It is his outline plan for the resurrection of the "HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE" in Europe. Also Franz Josef Strauss's book, The Grand Design, on the same theme, showing also the plans of this "strong man of Europe" for the same prophesied "United Europe." I know Dr. Strauss well. He has dined in my home in Pasadena. I last saw him two days after his private meeting with President Brezhnev of the Soviet Union last November.

   The whole world will be literally STUNNED when, very soon now, this union of nations in Europe is publicly announced. It will be a new STUPENDOUS WORLD POWER, possibly even greater than either the Soviet Union or the U.S.A.!

   And IT IS MUCH NEARER THAN WE HAVE BELIEVED! Brethren, time is running out on us. When this great European power emerges, our great Work will be just about over. The day shall have arrived when "no man can work," as Jesus said (John 9:4). God has held back world events until Christ's Bride (His Church) has "made herseIf READY." We were off the track. Christ has been getting us back ON THE TRACK!

   NOTHING ELSE MATTERS NOW. We must sacrifice and devote our all that is reasonably possible to GOD'S WORK in these closing days. Soon God will move swiftly to cut time short and make a quick Work of it. Intensify your prayers.

With deep love, in Jesus' name,

Herbert W. Armstrong

Publication Date: July 16, 1982
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