Proclaim to the World the GOOD NEWS OF THE WORLD TOMORROW
Box 111, Pasadena, Calif. 91109
Publishing: The PLAIN TRUTH a Magazine of UNDERSTANDING
September 26, 1969
Dear Co-Workers with Christ:
Very sobering things are happening — and now happening faster and faster.
Few educated people believe there is a Devil. I can tell you one circumstance that I would have considered good evidence there is no Devil. If no opposition, persecution, effort to embarrass us or stop us in our joint participation with Hebrew University in the major archaeological project at Jerusalem had occurred, that would have been convincing evidence of the nonexistence of the Devil.
But it has happened. News dispatches are going out to newspapers all over the world attempting to identify with me the arsonist charged with setting fire to the Al Aksa Mosque — with Ambassador College, and our Work. Every effort, it seems, is being made to link us with it in a way to discredit the Work of God. The man, Rohan, being held as the arsonist, the dispatches say, claims to be identified with us.
This claim is TOTALLY FALSE. The first any of us at Pasadena ever heard of this man was when the press dispatches began coming over the Teletypes in our News Bureau. Checkups revealed that this man had sent in for and received a number of our Correspondence Course lessons. Last December he had sent in a subscription to The PLAIN TRUTH. But any claim to any further connection or association with us is an absolute lie. Two million others subscribe to The PLAIN TRUTH. 100,000 others subscribe to the Correspondence Course lessons. These are sent to any and everybody who requests them, FREE. But such subscriptions do not connect us with such subscribers or any act any one of them might commit, any more than a subscription to the New York TIMES makes that newspaper responsible for any acts committed by its subscribers.
I am writing from our British campus. Mr. Stanley Rader, our General Legal Counsel, and Mr. Hunting, Bursar of the College here, are in Jerusalem conferring with officials there with whom we are associated in the archaeological project. I am momentarily expecting a telephone call from them. It is forcing us to go to great effort, and expense, to try to offset this vicious and false persecution. It could get blown up out of all proportion and do tremendous harm to God's Work.
This is just one more indication we are in the very LAST DAYS of this present evil world. These are the days when Satan knows he has but a short time left. DO YOU KNOW IT? Do YOU realize how short a time we have to FINISH the Work for this time — this present portion of it? Satan is angry. He is ACTIVE. He is the FALSE ACCUSER of God's people (Rev. 12:10). He is now attacking this Work in GREAT WRATH (Rev. 12:12).
But are WE aroused? Are YOU? Are WE doing all we can for God's Work? Some are! God bless all you who are! But many are NOT! Are YOU one who is indifferent, whose mind and heart and interest is in other things? Do you realize GOD'S WORK is the only thing that COUNTS anymore, now? Those who don't will most assuredly wish they had, VERY SOON NOW, when it is too late, and they look back and wish they had taken the Work of God more seriously.
We have to be VERY DEEPLY CONCERNED with what happens when this trial comes up in Jerusalem on October 6. We need to PRAY, deeply earnest, as never before, that God will stay the hand of Satan, and not involve HIS WORK. Scores of newspaper men will be there.
Satan is more powerful than we. But GOD is far more powerful than Satan. Now we need THE DIRECT POWER OF GOD to protect this great Work and its good name. That is one way YOU can help. By constant earnest PRAYER!
In Jesus' name, I call on you to TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY, get to your knees — keep on again and again and again earnestly beseeching the living GOD to stay the hand of the enemy.
From here on THERE WILL BE GREATER AND GREATER PERSECUTION, and effort to discredit this Work. Already there has been MUCH persecution. I have ignored it, for up to now it has come from little groups with little influence. But from now on it will begin to come from LARGE AND MORE POWERFUL SOURCES.
For years I have known it was coming. The question now is whether we are right now at the time mentioned in the prophecy of Revelation 12:7-13, where there is to be a titanic and furious battle in heaven. Satan and his demons at WAR against God's archangel Michael and the angels. Satan is to LOSE this great battle, and be cast down to the earth (verse 9). Then the Devil (verse 13) is to go forth in great FURY to persecute GOD'S PEOPLE. And since God's people are God's instruments in His Work, Satan is to attack THIS WORK!
From this moment on, we should have just ONE SUPREME INTEREST before our minds — THIS WORK OF GOD! We should make every sacrifice for it we can. I do NOT want any to "go overboard" and unwisely OVER-sacrifice, but it is necessary now that we go right up to the very limit of our ability, sensibly, in contributing for the Work, in LOANING larger sums IF we are UNABLE to give them outright at this time.
And, even MORE important, to put our WHOLE HEARTS into our constant daily PRAYERS for this Work.
Read Ephesians 6:12. Our real foe is not other people, but the Satanic powers of the EVIL SPIRITS under Satan. God will protect and deliver us, if we cry out to Him in earnest and TRUST Him and RELY on Him. We can't carry on this great Work in our own human strength. It is by GOD'S Spirit — by GOD'S ALMIGHTY SUPERNATURAL POWER!
God's Work is in need!
This month of September started out with good sums of tithes and offerings coming in — for a few days — and then slacked off! Please send in contributions AS OFTEN as possible — and keep it up during the last half of the month. The need is great, and serious and urgent. THANK YOU for your prayers and your sacrifice.
With great love, in Jesus' name, Herbert W. Armstrong
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