Nuclear World War III, the unthinkable. Will there even be the day after? Only biblical prophecy can tell.
On Sunday night, November 20, 1983, 100 million in the United States were shocked out of complacency by the television movie "The Day After." It has been talked about and discussed ever since it made history in the United States. The movie made the public aware of the horror of a possible coming nuclear world war and the coming Armageddon.
The World Tomorrow. The Worldwide Church of God presents Herbert W. Armstrong, an internationally recognized ambassador for world peace, visiting prominent leaders around the globe, discussing the cause of world problems, and proclaiming the good news of The World Tomorrow. Ladies and gentlemen, Herbert W. Armstrong.
After the movie, a group of several experts discussed the movie itself. It's too bad that half or more of that vast audience tuned out and didn't hear that discussion. The most important part of all in that group of experts were the United States Secretary of State, a former United States Secretary of State, a former Secretary of Defense over all of our military forces, a former Lieutenant General of the Army and an advisor to the presidents of the United States, a scientist, author, and astronomer, and a publisher, author, also a philosopher and Jewish historian. Those were the panel who discussed it afterward.
And the question for discussion was, and it was only a discussion, not an argument. The question was, "What can be done to prevent a nuclear war? And is there still time? Is there still time?"
The public simply does not understand the dilemma that the United States is in and the almost certainty that there will be a nuclear World War. The reality is going to be much greater than shown in that movie. A nuclear explosion is 1000 times as destructive as the atomic blast that completely demolished Hiroshima and Nagasaki - two different blasts in two different cities in Japan that ended World War II, human life on the earth, in fact, all life - plant, animal, and human life - may become extinct in the next 10 to 20 years. The nuclear war will slaughter whole populations, and nobody knows how to stop it once it is started, and it could be started by a small nation.
I noticed that these leaders, these important men who have been chief advisors to presidents of the United States and making the United States policy, were simply men who were bewildered - they were bewildered just like you read in the Bible in Luke chapter 21 and verse 26, (Luke 21:26) where it says in the days that we're living in now. And this is a prophecy of our time. Right now. "Men's hearts failing them for fear and for looking on those things which are coming on the earth." In this discussion, I constantly heard the words, "I think, I think this," "Well, I think so and so." Men were expressing what they thought, but they plainly showed they don't know, they are bewildered, they don't know. It made me think of rats in a trap trying to get out and can't find a way out, and they're in consternation.
Another thing that I noticed, they spoke as if there is no God. It's just left to humans to try to solve these problems, and the problems are beyond human solution. There is no question. There was not one iota of any indication that any man was even conscious of the fact that there is a God who looks down on all nations, who determines the outcome of wars, who determines what is going to happen to this earth. No concern for that at all, only helpless men and showing how helpless we are in this world without God. And yet it is only God who can tell us what is going to happen or who can cause the future and bring it about. And there is the only hope, and men can't seem to turn to that hope.
Our money says the United States currency "In God We Trust." But do we, and do you, you who are looking at me? You who are listening? Now, do you trust God? Could we trust him in the case of nuclear war? No, they were having to trust themselves. And according to what, as they continually said, "I think," well, "I think," "I think," each one had his own thoughts, what he thought, but he didn't think his way through, and no one could see any answer. They were absolutely perplexed.
Now, how about the religious leaders of the world? Well, they have been lulling the people to sleep. I've said time and again, Jesus Christ brought a gospel. He sent men out to preach that gospel. That gospel is good news. It is a message that Christ brought. It's a message that God Almighty sent to mankind by Jesus Christ. They have not preached that message. They have merely preached their message about the messenger. They have preached about Christ. Oh, yes. They have said, "Jesus is the Christ. Jesus was the Christ. Jesus is the Christ." They preach Christ to the nations, and they lull the people to sleep. They merely tell you that God loves you. They merely tell you that. Well, they'll make your life more pleasant. Now. They don't tell you what's in. So, they don't tell you about the life to come. They don't tell you about the purpose of life. They don't tell you about the resurrection and the life to come, and they don't tell you the meaning of life and the meaning of all these world events that are happening all the time. They are just lulling the people to sleep.
And you read many prophecies in the Bible, condemning the ministers of the gospel for what they're teaching the people because they're not crying out. My Bible says of this day and time, "Cry aloud and spare not and show my people their sins." And this one voice is doing that. And I wish you'd tell me of any other voice that is, and I wish many other voices would.
In the 24th chapter, Matthew, and I've given you this many, many times before Matthew 24 and beginning with verse three (Matthew 24:3-6), Jesus Christ when he was on earth of now, over 1950 years ago, had been discussing about the buildings of the temple. And later, He was sitting up on the mount of Olives. And as He sat on the mount of Olives, His disciples came to Him privately and asked Him, "When shall these things be?" He had told them that the buildings of the temple would be thrown down and destroyed. And that did happen in their lifetime. "When shall these things be and what shall be the sign of thy coming and the end of the world?" That is the one place in the Bible where the expression "the end of the world" is mentioned. And that is what Christ began to talk about. First, however, he talked about what is going to happen in their lifetime. They thought that the end of the world would come in their lifetime. And of course, it didn't, it hasn't come yet. It's going to come in our lifetime now in this generation. And there's plenty of evidence of that.
So, Jesus answered and said unto them, "Let no man deceive you." He was talking to them in their lifetime at that time. "Now for many shall come in my name saying that I am Christ. They would come professing that Jesus is the Christ, "and deceiving the many".
Now, He went on and said "there would be wars and rumors of wars, but that wasn't the end, and not to be troubled". The end wouldn't come yet. They had also asked Him a sign of the end of the world and the second coming of Christ. He came to that down in verse 14 when he said, "In this gospel of the Kingdom," that's the Kingdom of God that he proclaimed, "this gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come?" (Matthew 24:14).
Then he went on talking about things and coming down to the time of the end. In verse 21, (Matthew 24:21), He said, "For then," that's in our time now and just ahead of us now, in fact, we're in the beginning of it to a small sense, "for then shall be great tribulation. Such as was not since the beginning of the world of this time, none or ever shall be". And now listen to this, "and except those days" this great tribulation should be shortened. There should no flesh be saved alive," not a human being would be spared. All humanity would be blasted out of existence. He was foretelling what only hydrogen bombs and nuclear weapons can do? And he said, unless God intervenes to stop it, that would happen.
Now, He continued; "immediately after that great tribulation". Verse 29, (Matthew 24:29-30), "the sun shall be dark, there'll be signs in the heavens, and then the men will look up into the sky, and they will see the Son of God or Christ coming in power and great glory". So, we're coming right down to that time.
You are hearing the gospel of the Kingdom of God, and you hear it every week on this program, and I don't know of any other program on the face of this earth where you do hear it. God said there would be a voice crying out in the spiritual wilderness of this day, just like John, the Baptist cried out in the physical wilderness of his day before the coming of the physical Jesus. But in the modern Babylon of religious Babylon, God said He would send a voice, one voice crying out before the coming of the spiritual Christ and power and great glory as the King of kings and the Lord of lords to rule all nations, to simply rule all nations.
Well, men have absolutely lost sense of the things of God, of the gospel. It has not been preached. They began to preach in the very first century, they began to preach their message, the message of men about Christ, but not the message of Christ. Christ's message was the Kingdom of God, a government in which Jesus Christ will come again and rule all nations. And you don't hear that preached. Why, you better listen, you ought to write in for the booklet that "What Is The True Gospel?" And we'd send that to you without any charge whatsoever. And this is one program where we don't ask for contributions. We don't have to beg you for money to stay on the air. Thank God. We look to God for money, and He does supply it.
And I can tell you now that the big fear of nuclear war is not war just between the two great powers. In this world, it seems that our leaders have not known very much about communism and about the Soviet Union. So let me tell you a few things about it. 50 years ago, I had in my possession a book that was given to me by an FBI man. It was quite confidential at the time, but it was a book that put out by communists, a home study course on communism. Later on, they withdrew that booklet, but it gave the entire goal of communism and their methods of what they're trying to accomplish, how they expect to do it all about it. And it's too bad. Even presidents of the United States seem to have been in ignorance of communism and how to deal with it. First of all was their purpose. Their purpose is world domination.
Now, there are some people that do know that, but too many don't. Their purpose is world domination, and their methods are first propaganda and second sabotage, guerrilla warfare, and cold war, and stirring up in other nations, stirring up the people against themselves and dividing the people in other nations so that the Russians can finally take them over, gobbling up smaller nations one after another, maintaining a vast army, the biggest army in the world. Their program is not a five-year program, a 10-year program, or a 50-year program. Their program is one of, if necessary, two or three lifetimes. They were not in a hurry. They knew it would take time.
Now they have been going along. They expected that ultimately they would have to come to an all-out war with the United States. That is the last thing on their program, that's in their program. But it's the last thing; they're not ready for that yet. They have been accomplishing their goals right on time. They have been gobbling up additional real estate in other countries. They've got all of Eastern Europe. They're taking other countries; they're making inroads all over the world. Now, they're beginning to make inroads in Central America, and they're getting on our doorstep, doorstep here in the United States. But they have time.
And I can tell you now that the big fear of nuclear war is not war just between the two great powers. Now, I noticed that most of the men in this discussion, and they were the advisors that had been advising the United States' foreign policies and military policies, they seem to think there are only two nations concerned or two powers, the Soviet Union and the United States. And that's where they are wrong because the real trouble is going to come from other sources, and it's just too bad that they can't understand the real situation that is going on in the world and understand it better.
Now, the one to fear is some small country, and the one who had been in the Holocaust, the Jewish philosopher and author, he had been in that, and he said, "I am scared," and he said that the impossible is possible, and it can happen, and he is frightened himself. But he said he was not so much concerned about the two great nations as he is about smaller nations. And if a smaller nation should start, and they have hydrogen bombs, they have atomic weapons, and if a smaller nation should start it, it couldn't be stopped. And, these experts agreed that once a nuclear war starts, even if it starts small by a small nation, if some hothead of some smaller nation would start such a war and they can have possession of nuclear weapons, it could not be stopped. And they were agreed on that, that once it was started, it could not be stopped.
Now, I can tell you that it is going to happen. I just read you the prophecy of what is going to happen. But God will stop it, men can't stop it. Only God could stop it, and he will before it has annihilated all humanity. But it is going to annihilate such a great proportion of humanity until only a part of humanity is going to be left alive. And that's what you're facing in your lifetime, and you're better your life on it. I not only say you can bet your life on it, you are betting your life on it. God says it is going to happen, but He is going to put an end to it before it goes that far. And therein lies the hope, and the only hope is God Himself. God Almighty, the creator, the one who is the power invisible though He is, he still is the power that rules everything.
Now, God has allowed 6000 years for men to learn that only a close relationship with God and obedience to God is going to be able to bring us any peace, any happiness or can give us eternal life. God Almighty has eternal life to give, and He wants to give it to all of us. But we have to come to His way of living, and we are not living His way. We are living man's way, and we are living the way of Satan, the devil, who is the real invisible ruler over this earth. And people don't know it because your Bible says all nations have been deceived, honest, sincere, and yet deceived and don't know the real truth.
Now, I wanted to quote Ezekiel 6 and verse 6, (Ezekiel 6:6). There it speaks of our people, of our nations, and it says, "In all your dwelling places, the cities shall be laid waste." It is going to come, it's going to be nuclear war, and it is going to come, and only God reveals the way of escape, the way to eternal life, the way to happiness and eternal life, which we can have. The first human chose to take to himself, good and evil, to decide for himself what is good and what is evil, but man's good, human good, is not good enough, that is self-righteousness. And God says that's a lot of filthy rags to Him. We need the righteousness of God, and we simply don't have it.
Now in Ezekiel 33 and verse 7, let me just read you a little of that. Ezekiel 33 and verse 7, (Ezekiel 33:7). "So, thou, oh son of man, I have said", and this was to Ezekiel. Ezekiel couldn't get this message out. He was among captives that had been taken captive. He was a prisoner of war. But he says, God says, "I have sent you as a watchman unto the house of Israel." And that means our people. "Therefore, thou shalt hear this word, the words of my mouth, and say unto them". Then continuing on verse 27, (Ezekiel 33:27), "say thou thus unto them. Thus says the eternal God, As I live, surely they that are in the waste shall fall by the sword. For I will lay the land most desolate and the pomp of her strength shall cease", and the strength of the United States has ceased. "Then shall they know that I am the Eternal when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed". And we go on committing them. We go on saying "In God we trust", and yet we ignore God and we don't obey Him."
The ministers are teaching the law of God is done away, and the law of God is God's way of life, the way to peace, the way to happiness and joy. But they don't like especially the part that is important to God that honors Him. And so, they say the law is done away. You don't have to obey it any longer. This one voice has to cry out what is going to happen to this people if we don't turn to God. There has to be a turning to God and not to more military weapons. I'm not in the argument for or against further nuclear weapons. I'm just telling you the place of security is God himself and surrendering to God to obey His commandments. His laws, a good understanding of all they that keep his Commandments. And if any man says, "I know him and keeps not His Commandments, that man is a liar," says God in I John the second chapter, and I believe it's verse four (I John 2:4). So, this voice is crying out.
Now, I just want to offer you, in closing, a booklet on "The Middle East In Prophecy". And what it says from now on, world events are going to center on the Middle East, around Jerusalem, Lebanon, all that area. You need this booklet, "The Middle East In Prophecy." Now, there's no charge. I said a while ago, we don't beg our listeners for money. It takes money to keep this program going. We look to God for it, and God causes the people He wants to support to support it. We don't have to ask you, we give, we're not out to get. This program is different, and I hope you notice the difference.
I'd like to have you get that booklet, "The Middle East in Prophecy." And we'd be glad to put you on the main list of the greatest magazine in the world. Now, one of the world's largest mass circulation magazines, over 6 million copies monthly, "The Plain Truth." Articles all the way through it, discussing world news, explaining it according to Bible prophecy, there's no magazine like it.
Just send your request to me, Herbert W Armstrong Pasadena, California. That's all the address you need. Herbert W Armstrong Pasadena California. And the zip is 91123 or better yet. Just go to the telephone right now and call toll-free. The toll-free number 800 then 423-4444. That's 800-423-4444, or if you live in California, Hawaii or Alaska, you dial another number and you dial, collect, we'll pay for the call area code 213 then 304-6111. Area code 213, collect 304-6111. And if the lines are busy jot that number down and keep trying because we have scores upon scores of people waiting to take your call, but the calls are coming in by the thousands. So just keep trying and you will get through. So, until next time, Herbert W Armstrong, goodbye friends.
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