Proclaim to the World the GOOD NEWS OF THE WORLD TOMORROW
Box 111, Pasadena, Calif. 91109
Publishing: The PLAIN TRUTH a Magazine of UNDERSTANDING
March 30, 1967
Dear Co-Worker with Christ:
Now I am able to make ONE of the important DOUBLE-EVENT announcements I had hoped to tell you about in my letter last month. But the other—the most sensational announcement since God started this Work in 1934, must wait at least a few more days.
But here is ONE part of that Double-Event announcement. And THIS is one of the MOST IMPORTANT leaps ahead in God's Work so far!
The WORLD TOMORROW is starting, within the month, ON TELEVISION!
We did go on television back in July, 1955. At that time, the T.V. programs had to be put on film. The programs had to be "shot" in a Hollywood Motion Picture studio, and I suddenly found I was "in the movies." There were 17 men in front of me in the studio—cameramen, electricians, lighting experts, helpers, and to the side or behind me, the script girl. Many were smoking cigarettes, many looking a little cynical or sarcastic. And that was the audience I had to "preach" to! I assure you it was not easy! And the production of a program was tremendously expensive.
Today, however, television has gone from motion-picture film to TAPE. It is much, much simpler.
For some months now, we have had a closed-circuit T.V. camera of our own in the radio studio here at Pasadena. My son, Garner Ted Armstrong, has been getting accustomed to the brighter lights, and speaking into a camera, as well as microphone only. However, the equipment we have been using is not of broadcast standard, and has been used only for experimental purposes. As one of the cigarette "commercials" on T.V. says, it "takes some getting used to."
But now we feel that my son is READY! In just a week or ten days our first broadcast-quality T.V. equipment will be delivered. Since it is tape, we can record it, using two cameras, in our own present radio studio. This first equipment is black- and-white only. This time, only our own technicians will be in our studio.
The schedule for developing the program on T.V. is as follows:
First, we will begin televising the program on a Los Angeles UHF station (ultra high frequency) in about two or three weeks. The same program will be heard also on radio. Many home T.V. sets are not equipped to tune UHF. We realize that the viewing audience will be quite small, compared to the regular- channel stations. Yet, for the start, we feel it better to use such a station until we become as "professional" through experience on T.V. as we are on radio. For the present this will be televised once a week in Los Angeles only.
Second stage: Within about two months we will place an order for complete COLOR T.V. equipment. This is far more expensive, and requires a special and larger studio for operation and production of the programs. This, of course, must be the finest equipment—otherwise the better stations and/or networks would never accept our programs.
We expect delivery of this final first-quality professional equipment about 8 months after placing the order— probably early next year. By that time, we feel that our T.V. program will be of a quality acceptable by any station or network. At that time -somewhere between January and March, we plan to launch the program Coast to Coast in the United States on 12 stations—leading T.V. stations in such cities as New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Houston, Dallas, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Not necessarily just those cities (I see I listed 13).
Thereafter, we plan to continue gradually adding stations in other cities, so that the T.V. program of The WORLD TOMORROW will continue to GROW just as the radio broadcast has done. We will be working toward a program that will be acceptable to one of the big Networks—CBS or NBC, and we hope to have it, full color, on one of these Networks—using the entire Network (Canadian Network also), by late 1970 or early 1971.
THIS TELEVISION PROGRAM WILL TRIPLE AND QUADRUPLE (or more) THE PRESENT POWER OF RADIO!
IN ADDITION! We expect soon to start using FULL PAGES in the mass-circulation LIFE magazine. This magazine already has sent representatives to our campus, and assure us that they shall be glad to sell us advertising space for getting our Message to the MILLIONS of people in America.
Already we are using full page advertising space in the largest-circulation magazines in South Africa, The Philippines, and Australia. This will get the Message to many additional millions. Add this to the power of radio and television—and the constantly expanding circulation of The PLAIN TRUTH, and we expect to be reaching 200,000,000 to 300,000,000 people around the world regularly within a very few years!
And THAT'S MORE PEOPLE THAN THERE ARE, TOTAL, IN THE UNITED STATES TODAY!
I have told you that we are right on the threshold of a STUPENDOUS LEAP FORWARD in the WORK OF GOD that is going to ROCK THIS WHOLE WORLD IN ASTONISHMENT—and make the world KNOW that it has heard the GOOD NEWS—the BIG NEWS—of The WORLD TOMORROW—the true Message of Jesus Christ!
Co-Workers, the living Jesus Christ, to whom ALL POWER in heaven and in earth has been given, is now opening before us GIGANTIC, STUPENDOUS, and TREMENDOUS DOORS of MASS MEDIA for THUNDERING HIS GOOD NEWS to ALL NATIONS!
But it takes more than just these tremendous facilities—great and powerful as they are. Yes, SO MUCH MORE! Jesus Christ says to us: "NOT by might, nor by power, BUT BY MY SPIRIT, saith the ETERNAL of Hosts" shall HIS WORK go forth!
God has laid on Mrs. Armstrong—and me—the most severe trial of our lives. I wrote you a month ago about her critical illness. She has now had to go SEVEN FULL WEEKS WITHOUT FOOD! She still lies in critical condition! It has been the most severe ordeal of my life—but of course a far more severe ordeal for her. Letters have come from all parts of the world, not only assuring us of fervent, continuous prayers, but of the JOLT—the SHOCK—the PROFOUND AWAKENING her illness has produced in thousands upon thousands of people.
There is a blockage of the colon, just above the rectum. It is a complete stoppage. We have been unable to get through with enemas of any kind. There is no way even to introduce the color matter necessary for an X ray to be used to tell us the nature of the stoppage. Meanwhile her entire abdomen is inflated like a balloon with gas which can't escape. There is nothing we can do. We await a MIRACLE FROM GOD! I expect it now, even more than I did a month ago! I have flown one of our own college doctors here, and for a month or more, now, he has slept constantly in an adjoining room, with a registered nurse constantly in attendance, even sleeping in the same room with Mrs. Armstrong nights. Both are servants of Jesus Christ—converts of this Work of God.
This sore trial has been used by Christ to CLEANSE much of the spiritual filth and waste out of thousands in HIS BODY—His CHURCH—HIS WIFE—whom He is to MARRY, at His coming. See Revelation 19:6-8, and Ephesians 5:25-27. If WE are to be married to CHRIST at His coming, we must GET CLEANED UP—for His WIFE must be sanctified, and cleansed, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing!
Thousands have been deeply convicted through Mrs. Armstrong's suffering. The letters pouring in from around the world bring tears to our eyes—as her illness has to these who write. We are AMAZED at this spiritual reawakening in thousands of lives! We REJOICE in it! News of it is one thing that keeps Mrs. Armstrong in good spirits, and courage and HOPE—and in FAITH through this grave ordeal.
I told you, in my last letter a month ago, how one real miracle had been granted by the living and loving GOD. She was suddenly able to take certain liquid nourishment. It must be ONLY that which is burned up in energy—supplying blood-sugar to the bloodstream—or eliminated through the kidneys. But, aside from temporary slight additional energy, this contributes no strength at all, and she is about as weak as a human can get. But God has miraculously SUSTAINED HER LIFE, and actually her eyes are clearer, and her color of face better, than before this happened! Hourly, daily, we expect the miracle of the release of the stoppage. Then, when she can begin taking actual food, she will regain weight and strength rapidly.
THANK YOU—all who have been shaken, spiritually reawakened, by this—and those who have PRAYED EARNESTLY for her. God has HEARD! His ANSWER is ON THE WAY!
Mrs. Armstrong and I want to express our deepest and heartfelt THANKS to the thousands of you who have sent flowers, cards, letters, and even some gifts for her. Many of these letters, telling how her critical illness had shaken you, brought a spiritual reawakening and repentance, and changed your lives, simply choked me up in tears, as I tried to read them to her at her bedside—and I had to stop awhile before I could continue reading.
Mrs. Armstrong feels very THANKFUL if God has used her illness and this severe trial to help bring GOD'S PEOPLE closer to Him, where He can really USE US as never before, in this great Work which now must MULTIPLY in mighty power the world around! Even many little children have written. We try to read them all—both of us—but there have been thousands of such cards and letters. Yet I don't think we have missed any. It would simply be IMPOSSIBLE for us to write personal replies to each one.
Especially we THANK YOU from the heart for your earnest, prevailing PRAYERS. Night before last I spent the whole night, until after sunup, in my prayer room at home in prayer with God. We have been heard. The answer is on the way. Sometimes God does not answer until the very last minute, that our trial of faith develop patience and fit us to be the recipients of His blessing!
Mrs. Armstrong cannot have flowers in the room, except for a short time. Her sense of smell is so sharp that the fragrance of flowers seems to cause some distress, so we always bring them in for her to see, leave them just a little while, and then must take them away. We DO appreciate the thoughtfulness DEEPLY. But right now, your heartfelt and urgent and BELIEVING PRAYERS OF FAITH will help more than anything.
As for me, my heart condition—I might have dropped dead any second—seems completely healed, my blood pressure is down, and I am in the best physical shape in the past five years. I have not done a broadcast, myself, for three or four years, though they have repeated a few older ones on Sunday broadcasts at times. But now, once again, I am back at the microphone, and I expect to be on the air myself next Sunday—and, if God wills, I hope about twice a week hereafter—and, I hope, as I get rapidly back in harness, BETTER THAN EVER!
We have needed a SPIRITUAL SHAKING UP, and REJUVENATION, before we were prepared to go ahead with this VASTLY MORE POWERFUL WORK which Christ is opening before us. Mrs. Armstrong's illness has been used to start that on its way. As Christ has used HER blockage to remove the spiritual blockage from HIS WIFE—His CHURCH—I am sure He will also remove the physical blockage from my wife! Would you pray earnestly with me?
Co-Workers, I'm sure I need not take much space to say that the need of financial income for GOD'S WORK is a continuous VITAL, and URGENT NEED. I have explained how important is YOUR PART—and how NEEDFUL! It truly is, as Jesus said, MORE blessed to GIVE than to receive! God LOVES a cheerful giver! He PROSPERS those who pay into HIS WORK their TITHE—which is the first tenth of actual gross income—the same income on which you pay income tax. And God Himself does expect free will offerings beside from us all— according to our circumstances and ability, of course!
Those who have made special contributions for the BUILDING FUND for the very urgently needed buildings on the three college campuses should realize that the need is now greater than ever before. God will bless you for continuing these SPECIAL offerings.
And, of course, the special loans of larger amounts, from those who are not able to turn these into an outright contribution at this time, subject to repayment when needed, adds a VITALLY IMPORTANT help.
This mighty WORK OF GOD is being stepped up in greater power as NEVER BEFORE! Co-Workers, let's ALL TOGETHER, in greater PRAYER for the Work, put our hearts into this WORK OF GOD as NEVER BEFORE!
With very sincere LOVE, in Jesus' name, Herbert W. Armstrong
Copyright © 2024 Herbert W Armstrong Library