Proclaim to the World the GOOD NEWS OF THE WORLD TOMORROW
BOX 111, Pasadena, California
Publishing: The PLAIN TRUTH a Magazine of UNDERSTANDING
November 20, 1957
Dear Co-Workers with CHRIST:
This is a quick and short EMERGENCY S.O.S.!!!
This whole world has suddenly hit a stupendous CRISIS. At the same time, the most important activity on earth — GOD'S WORK — faces a crucial emergency.
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THIS WORLD? Can your mind really grasp it? In 1944 we were in the fast-moving Machine Age. In 1945 we entered the frightful and faster-moving Atomic Age! And now, 1957, we have been plummeted into the terrifying 18,000 m.p.h. (five miles per second) SPACE AGE!!!
Think of it! It used to take thousands of years to pass through just ONE AGE. The DESTRUCTIVENESS of MAN'S INGENUITY has now speeded up at such incredible accelerated pace that we have just passed through THREE AGES in twelve short years!!
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? It means far more than soaring of Russian prestige and shrinking of the United States prestige in world opinion. It means far more than the fact that the story of history is the story of the rise and fall of great nations — that always when a nation becomes rich, proud, and basking in the sunshine of luxury as America is doing today, a poorly clothed and fed but tough, high spirited and strong barbarian adversary conquers and destroys it. It means far more than the handwriting on the wall for AMERICA — that this nation now faces the DOOM that is prophesied and which it MONTHLY refuses to realize. IT MEANS THE DOOM OF ALL CIVILIZATION is descending down upon us, as rapidly as this new SPACE AGE is rocketing Sputniks and missiles up into outer space at 300 miles per minute and faster!! It means that, as God said at the Tower of Babel, now NOTHING will be restrained from MAN until he has blasted all human life from off this planet — UNLESS GOD QUICKLY STEPS IN AND STOPS THE HELLISH ADVANCE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TOWARD WORLD OBLIVION!!
IT MEANS OUR TIME IS SHORT — far shorter than we knew!! In such a crazed doom-bent world, ONE URGENT MISSION STANDS OUT AS OF FIRST IMPORTANCE OVER EVERY ACTIVITY ON EARTH — far in importance above this feverish Science-Activity for which President Eisenhower now calls. That is to THUNDER GOD'S LAST WARNING GOSPEL MESSAGE TO ALL THE WORLD AS A WITNESS TO ALL NATIONS!!
God Almighty must step in and save this world from itself until this mission is completed! (Matt. 24:14). The ETERNAL GOD has sent us, dear Co-Workers, as His instruments in completing HIS WORK ON EARTH IN THIS PRESENT WORLD. No one else is shouting this WARNING! No one else is proclaiming the living PROPHECIES of that entire third of the Bible devoted to prophecy, to WARN this world in advance, before they happen, of the catastrophic events now soon to SHAKE this world into final submission to GOD! Two years ago we told you a NEW EPIDEMIC would strike America in two years. IT'S HERE! No one else warned this nation!! No one else is telling what PROPHECY says Germany and Fascism in Europe are starting under cover. You'll soon see it — THE UNITED STATES of EUROPE — THE RESURRECTED ROMAN EMPIRE!! No one else is thundering out to the whole world the very same Gospel CHRIST preached — the Message GOD sent to mankind by Jesus as Messenger!! The worldly evangelists preach their own gospel ABOUT the person of Christ — but Christ's own GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD is going to the world solely and only through this work of which GOD HAS MADE YOU A VITAL PART, AS WELL AS ME!!!
The time has come when this work must GROW, faster than ever before! Recently we went on super-power WLAC nightly at 7:00 P.M., Central time. We started publishing FULL PAGE Gospel Messages in advertising space in a great farm paper. This is bringing in more requests from NEW readers and listeners than any one radio station! We have gone on the air in South Africa, where we are the MOST- LISTENED-TO-PROGRAM, twice a week instead of once. We have just started on the BIG-CITY national network in Australia, making The WORLD TOMORROW the dominant, most-listened-to-religious program in Australia, reaching 85% of its entire population. Now we are just starting a program FIVE TIMES A WEEK on Radio Bangkok in south- eastern Asia. A splendid time has just been opened to us on the most powerful station in western South America. It is more expensive than any station we have yet been on. WE CANNOT AFFORD IT, UNLESS WE HAVE AN INCREASE IN FUNDS!!
Our business office tells me they have had to drop two weeks behind in payment for time on our great American stations this month. After the recent trouble caused by our former advertising agency, THIS WILL MEAN SUDDENLY GOING OFF THE AIR ON MANY SUPER- POWER STATIONS, UNLESS THESE PAYMENTS ARE MET IMMEDIATELY, AND THEY ARE PAID PROMPTLY ON TIME HEREAFTER!!
This means this WORK OF GOD — most important activity on earth — is in another crisis — just as we face the most difficult time of the year — the Christmas shopping-spree season, when most people FORGET ALL ABOUT ANY GIFT FOR CHRIST AND HIS WORK, thinking only of exchanging presents among themselves!! Those who participate in this NON-Scriptural Christmas custom (see article in December PLAIN TRUTH), surely ought to send their one biggest, most GENEROUS gift for CHRIST and HIS WORK — and more, to be really consistent, if this were a true Christian custom, the WHOLE of their Christmas-giving should go into one BIGGEST-OF-THE-YEAR GIFT FOR CHRIST, for His work!!!
What does this new WORLD CRISIS mean? It means God's work MUST speed up, even as hell-bent Science and Technology are SPEEDING UP toward world-destruction. It means that this great work of God must SPEND MORE MONEY THAN BEFORE! IT MEANS the expenses of this work are speeding up — and so must the income!!!
A great world scientist, head of one of the two greatest institutions of technology in the United States, says this plunging suddenly into the SPACE AGE means an intellectual and scientific PEARL HARBOR!! He says it means THE WHOLE WORLD IS JOLTED INTO ACTION!! — Yes, action toward the DESTRUCTION of all life upon earth!!! He calls for mobilization of minds for "scientific purpose" — which means DESTRUCTIVE PURPOSE!!!
Co-Workers, I come to you now in more solemnity and URGENCY than ever before. The time for complacency is PAST!! The time for thinking of pleasures, the things we can buy to enjoy, the things we'd like to do that take money, IS PAST, if we're AWAKE to the FACTS and URGENCY of the hour!
The WORLD is being JOLTED into ACTION to hasten the DESTRUCTION of your home — your family — your town or city — YOUR NATION — THIS ENTIRE WORLD!!! WHAT DOES THIS TURN IN HISTORY MEAN TO YOU? DOES IT JOLT YOU INTO ACTION ON THE FIRING LINE FOR GOD — FOR CHRIST AND HIS GOSPEL — FOR FINISHING THE ALL-IMPORTANT WORK OF GOD, THAT CHRIST MAY COME AND SAVE THIS WORLD FROM ITSELF, AND BRING IT PEACE?
God's work needs increased offerings as well as honest tithes from all, according as God has made you able! That means one or several thousand dollars from some — widows' mites from others less able — but the work direly needs INCREASED offerings, and MORE OFTEN, if God has made that possible. And now, as NEVER BEFORE, dear Co-Workers, GET ON YOUR KNEES AND PRAY — PRAY FOR THIS WORK AND ME!!
With love, in Jesus Christ's service, Herbert W. Armstrong
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