RADIO CHURCH OF GOD WORLD HEADQUARTERS PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG PRESIDENT and PASTOR
Broadcasting The WORLD TOMORROW Publishers of The PLAIN TRUTH
January 10, 1958
Dear Brethren:
GREETINGS, in Jesus' name. Here we are, in 1958! Time is running out on us. Apparently, as we have said before, God is giving us two 19-year cycles to finish HIS WORK which HE has assigned to His Church to do. He first opened the mighty door of radio and the printing press for mass-evangelization of the whole world with HIS GOSPEL the first week in January, 1934.
In the first 19-year cycle, God continued to open that tremendous door wider and wider, until "this GOSPEL of the Kingdom" (Mat. 24:14) was being heard in every state in the U.S.
Then, the first week in January, 1953—exactly 19 years to the very week—God OPENED THE DOOR to shout His Gospel to Europe and the British Isles. In like manner, God commissioned the apostolic Church one 19-year cycle to proclaim Christ's Gospel over the land in which it started—in Asia—beginning 31 A.D. Then, after one 19-year cycle, in 50 A.D., God OPENED THE DOOR for the Apostle Paul to carry the same Gospel INTO EUROPE (II Cor.2:12-13 with Acts 16:9). And in the year 69 A.D., after a second 19-year cycle, the organized evangelizing of the world by God's Church was broken off.
NEVER, from that time until 1934—19 centuries later—has that same Gospel been proclaimed in an organized manner by GOD'S CHURCH to the known world. True, God's true CHURCH has existed, small and persecuted, thru every generation. True, God has raised up leaders in His Church, such as Peter Waldo, and Walter Lollard, who proclaimed Christ's same GOSPEL over limited areas in Europe. But never since 69 A.D. has it been proclaimed by mass evangelism over the whole world.
It may, incidentally, be significant that as God started His Church in the year 31 A.D. so He ordained into His ministry the man He has chosen for leadership in this FINAL CLOSING WORK of His Church exactly 19 centuries later—exactly 100 19 year cycles later in the year 1931 A.D.!
But brethren in God's Church today, here is the IMPORTANT thing to shake us out of our lethargy and WAKE US UP! If it is true that God has allotted to us, as He did to the church 19 centuries ago, just TWO 19-year time cycles to complete His work, FIVE OF OUR LAST 19 YEARS HAVE ALREADY SPED BY! Only 14 more short years remain! We have now passed the 24th anniversary of the MASS EVANGELISM CAMPAIGN OF THE CHURCH!
It seems like just no time at all since we first launched this work on the air—24 years ago! And 14 years ago seems like only yesterday! That was 1944. We had already been going NATIONAL —the broadcast being heard coast to coast, even in a scattered way, for over a year, at that time. THESE NEXT 14 YEARS WILL SPEED PAST US BEFORE WE KNOW IT. It's a mighty short time! AND OUR WORK IS FAR FROM FINISHED!
During this past year, God has been speeding up the work— especially in foreign fields in the far-flung corners of the earth. We are going on more and more radio stations AROUND THE WORLD. We are starting, this year, for the first time in South America. Just this past week, two more radio doors are opening to us—in Liberia, Africa (about half way along Africa's west coast) and in Panama (Central America).
Also WORK MUST BEGIN ON THE TABERNACLE AT GLADEWATER, TEXAS, THIS MONTH! Architect's drawings are now about complete. The construction company must start work immediately. They want to put it up at once, during their off-season. We get a better price and financing arrangement this way. It is going to give us a new Tabernacle seating about 5,500 people.
BUT SPECIAL OFFERINGS FOR THE BUILDING FUND HAVE FALLEN OFF TO A MERE TRICKLE! We have to start sending the construction company several thousand dollars a month, beginning NOW!
Brethren, WHAT ARE WE TO DO? We can't go ahead with this Tabernacle unless YOU MEMBERS SEND IN THE MONEY! We cannot take regular tithes and offerings away from the GOSPEL WORK around the world—WE CAN'T STOP GOD'S GREAT GOSPEL WORK—and put that money into the Tabernacle.
WHY, dear brethren, is it that unless I send out urgent appeals, most of you forget all about this great need, and QUIT DOING YOUR PART? W H Y ? Don't you realize that GOD is noting all we do—or fail to do? Don't you know we are to be rewarded according to our works?
WE MUST WAKE UP! We must raise from $8,000 to $10,000 every month, by SPECIAL and extra offerings, over and above all regular tithes and offerings, OR ELSE WE CANNOT BUILD THIS TABERNACLE!
Now it's true, we still have in the bank the $27,000-plus raised at the last Feast of Tabernacles for this purpose, and some more beside that we have laid aside in this special PROPERTY FUND. But I don't want to take out more than a tenth of that each month, so as to spread it over a ten months' period, and not have this reserve fund depleted at the very start. We still need to raise close to $10,000 a month additional, as we go—BEGINNING NOW. Only a very tiny fraction of that has been coming in.
LET US EVERY ONE RE-DEDICATE OUR LIVES TO GOD'S WORK! Time is SHORT, and growing shorter FAST. We simply can't hold the Feast of Tabernacles next fall unless we complete this new Tabernacle. GOD COMMANDS US TO HOLD IT! I cannot ask Co-Workers who are not yet members for special offerings for this tabernacle. WE WHO ARE MEMBERS MUST RAISE IT—MONTH BY MONTH! Please PRAY about it!
With love in Jesus' name, Herbert W. Armstrong
January 12, 1958
P.S. - Even since the above was set in type, I must add this IMPORTANT P.S. At the local church here yesterday, I was moved to pledge a special, additional $100 per month to this building fund which Mrs. Armstrong and I had planned to be able, at last, after all these years, to lay aside for any future "rainy day" in our own lives or those of our children. We have never yet been able to lay aside any personal savings for ourselves. Our home is all we have in this world. If God took my life there would be nothing for Mrs. Armstrong, except what she herself could earn.
The visiting ministers are all here. Mr. Kenneth Swisher, pastor of the churches at Gladewater tabernacle and at Minden, La., preached. In relation to this Tabernacle fund, he told of his experience in the war. His company was told to dig foxholes.
Their officer instructed them the foxholes must be narrow and deep enough so that when an enemy tank rolled over them, the men in the foxholes would not be mangled and crushed to death. "And," snapped out the officer, "to test your foxholes, we are going to drive our own tank over them, with you in them."
The boys didn't take this threatened test seriously. The ground was mostly rock,—very difficult digging. They "griped", loafed on the job.
Suddenly they looked up and saw the tanks coming! Frantically they began to dig down deeper! BRETHREN, not only the enemy tanks, but HYDROGEN BOMBS are coming OUR WAY mighty soon. Our only protection is GOD! And God says now to us: "DIG DOWN DEEPER—AND FAST—and KEEP IT UP! ! !"