Herbert W Armstrong

   Mr. Herbert Armstrong's mission has taken him to the Middle East on numerous occasions. He has been received by President Anwar El Sadat of Egypt, President Suleiman Franji of Lebanon, King Hussein of Jordan, and Prime Minister Hadi Noa of Tunisia.

   My whole purpose in going to the heads of state is to establish myself so that I can get into the country and get the gospel message into the country to the lay people in that country.

   The World Tomorrow, the Worldwide Church of God, presents the World Tomorrow with Herbert W. Armstrong.

   Besides meeting with Kings, Prime Ministers, and Premiers, Herbert Armstrong also met with Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia in June of 1973. And Emperor Hirohito of Japan. Emperor Hirohito awarded him the Order of the Sacred Treasure. The Order of the Sacred Treasure is the most prestigious award that can be presented to a non-Japanese private citizen. To date, Mr. Armstrong has had important meetings with many heads of state, kings, rulers, educators, and other leaders.

   Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong's message to these world leaders concerns the way to world peace and harmony, the way to solve the problems of poverty and squalor in which so many nations are held captive. It is a message of hope, a message that offers solutions instead of platitudes.

   During one of Mr. Armstrong's visits to the Philippines, he was invited to meet with the president and members of his cabinet. President Marcos autographed copies of two of his most recent books as a personal gift. He enjoyed a Plain Truth magazine article featuring a story about the Philippines. A gift of Steuben Crystal presented to him by Mr. Armstrong was greatly appreciated and admired by President Marcos.

   Mr. Armstrong received a very special award in the Philippines from Angeles University. He was conferred the degree of Doctor of Humanities Honor Excelsis.

   May 1974 marked an important date in the travels as he began the first of a series of international public lectures in Manila. Mr. Armstrong spoke to more than 25,000 people in his three-night lecture series in the Araneta Coliseum. He expounded on the purpose of life, answering the question, "Why were you born?" Mr. Armstrong spoke out strongly about the two philosophies of life: Give and Get. He explained what love is and how God's government is based wholly on that principle of love, that is, giving, not getting.

   Perhaps Mr. Armstrong's warmest relationships with governmental and education leaders in this area of the world are in Israel. Back in 1968, Ambassador College, under the auspices of the Worldwide Church of God, entered a joint participation with Hebrew University in a large archaeological project in Jerusalem's Temple Mount. More recently, Mr. Herbert Armstrong traveled to Israel to participate in a dedication ceremony with Mayor Teddy Kollek at Jerusalem's Liberty Bell Park. A stone marker in the park honoring Herbert Armstrong was unveiled in recognition of his sponsorship of the children's playground area. Later that same day, Mr. Armstrong and his party were entertained by a special performance of Israeli and Arab youths at the ICCY (International Cultural Center for Youth). On the square at the ICCY, a plaque honors Mr. Armstrong as well.

   During his stay in Israel, Mr. Armstrong spoke to many prominent dignitaries at a luncheon in his honor at Mount Scopus Campus of the Hebrew University. It was hosted by Professor Mazar and Dr. Avira and the Deputy Prime Minister of Israel, Yigael Yadin, in recognition of Mr. Armstrong's 10-year participation with Israeli leaders in government and education. He had several meetings at the Knesset with Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan, Shimon Peres, chairman of Israel's leading labor party, and the Speaker of the Knesset, Itzhak Shamir.

   He then visited the President of Israel, Itzhak Navon, at his home. Thus, in recent years, these visits of Herbert Armstrong to various world leaders have become the focal point of the Church's Great Commission.

   Mr. Armstrong, we're back again, and I'm happy to see you here. So healthy and hale and hardy here in Tucson. A lot of people know all about your trips. You do do some number of trips around the country and around the world. Now, how are those trips related to the work of the Church?

   Well, first of all, let me tell you Art, they certainly are not pleasure trips. If you just take one of these trips with me, you would learn. I'll tell you, a 14-hour or 15-hour flight from here to Tokyo is very, very exhausting. You find that all of a sudden everything is six hours earlier or eight hours earlier or eight hours later, and it throws you off in everything you have to do. It throws you off on your meals, it throws you off on your routine in every way. Now, I tell you, many of the largest corporations who have corporate jets, as we do for their chief officers to use, if they take a flight abroad, they do not allow them to transact any business for at least four days. They regard that it takes four days to get over the real troubles that come on you from such a trip. And, in my seat on the airplane, I don't know if you've ever been on my plane or not. I think you have, and you know that my seat is like an office. And I let down a shelf, and that's fine to put food on, to serve me like a table for dining. I put that up and I pull it down again, and it comes down this time with the typewriter and inside are many things that all the paper that I might need to use and other things, pencils and lots of things that I might need. I am working nearly all the time that we are in flight. And sometimes I just get so exhausted, I have to try to let my seat go back as the seats do in my plane, same as on all commercial planes, and try to go to sleep and take a nap. But I sometimes lose eight or ten hours of sleep. It is certainly not a pleasure trip. First, I wanted to say that.

   Now I'd like to read to you the Great Commission that Jesus gave to His apostles, the leaders of His Church. In Mark 16:15, Jesus said to His apostles, 'Go ye therefore into the world and preach the gospel to every creature.' Now, it's not only that, but really there is a prophecy for our day in Matthew 24:14. 'And this gospel of the Kingdom.' Now, that's the gospel that Jesus preached. Not the gospel about Christ, but the gospel about the Kingdom of God, 'shall be preached into all the world for a witness unto all nations. And then shall the end come.' Now, that is right at the time of the end. Because when that gospel is preached to all of the world, then that is the only sign God gives as to when the end is very, very near.

   Now, then in verse 3 of Matthew 24 (Matthew 24:3), 'And as Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives, and the disciples came to Him privately saying, tell us when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world.'

   Now, the end of the world here, you might almost call that a mistranslation because people get to think it means the end of this earth. It doesn't mean anything of the kind. It means the end of this world. But the Bible speaks of three worlds. It speaks of the world that then was overflown by a flood in the days of Noah. It speaks of this present evil world, and it's an evil world, and it speaks of the world to come and that world and so on. And that is after the coming of Christ.

   More of our program right after this announcement.

   Men shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation. Neither shall they learn war anymore. When, when will the dreams of man become reality? The whole message of Jesus Christ is about a soon-coming world government that will bring peace to our troubled world. For a full understanding of this message of hope about the Kingdom of God, request, 'Just what do you mean... KINGDOM OF GOD?,' call this toll-free number: 800-423-4444. That's 800-423-4444.

   When you meet with these world leaders, you know, you travel around the different countries. What do you discuss with them?

   Oh, what do I discuss? What do you tell them? Well, look, I'm not going out to try to convert them. I am going because in many countries I have found you can't get in there with a religious message that you want to get to their people unless you have been approved at the top. Really my whole purpose in going to the heads of state is to establish myself so that I can get into the country and get the gospel message into the country to the lay people in that country.

   When I am talking with a King, a President, a Prime Minister, or an Emperor, and there have been two, and one1 is now dead, but I had two meetings with him. Now, the Bible is concerned in its history with government up to the time of the Acts of the Apostles. The Bible is concerned through its prophecies about world events clear up into our time and past. The Bible is concerned about these things, and I talk to them about those things and about the things that are of interest to them. I don't go in and say, 'Have you given your heart to the Lord?' Wouldn't that be silly if I would go into the Emperor of Japan, that is worshipped as a very God himself, and say something like that.

   And yet I spent about 35 minutes with the Emperor of Japan, and the only man allowed to go in with me was the United States Ambassador. But I have been decorated with the highest decoration ever given to a non-official alien, someone who is non-Japanese and not official. They gave one point higher a decoration to President Eisenhower. But, of course, he had been the head of all of the victorious armies and he had been president of the United States, whereas I have had no political headship of any kind, and I hope I never shall, and I'm quite sure I never shall.

   But that may answer the question of what I talk to them about. And, by the way, I do nothing to set up these meetings myself. I am invited. I only go where I'm invited. And now, I have a number of very close friends in the Japanese diet. There are now about 13 or 14 of them, and all of them call themselves my Japanese sons. They're kind of proud of that. It's got to be sort of a joke that we have, you know. And at first, there were eight, and then some others said, 'Well, I want in on that. I want to be one of your Japanese sons.' And only we enjoy it.

   They are arranging now for me to have special meetings with the two men that are the heads of the People's Republic of China. In this crazy world, some of these people have been deposed, that you know. These leaders, how do you feel about that? I suppose some of them were your friends. I just take that in stride because I know what is going on in the world. I'm not surprised some of them have died, and some have been deposed. One, for example, one was shot in the very room where I had the interview and was shot many times. And that was Allende, he was a communist, you know. Incidentally, there seems not to be evidence that the CIA of the United States pretty well maneuvered that assassination. And frankly, I will say this, I am a red-blooded American, like I hope the rest of us are. But I hold American citizenship, but my real citizenship is reserved in heaven. I love this country. It is my country. As I think we all should feel. But I certainly hate to think of anything like that the CIA has been doing things like that. I think that is wrong. But, on the other hand, to have a secret agency to get information that is needed for the government in a world such as we live in today, I think that every other nation has it, and the United States cannot exist in such a world without it. But I think they just went a step too far when they have arranged the assassination of a leader. I'm not sure that they did, but I have recently heard more reports in the news on television that indicate that very possibly the CIA was back of that.

   I wonder if the people might like to know, are members of the Church of the Worldwide Church of God. Are they apprised of these trips? Do they know that their tithes and offerings?

   Yes, indeed. It's all reported constantly. Now, we have many, many publications, and there's The Plain Truth. Sometimes there will be something in The Plain Truth about it, which comes out monthly. Then also monthly is The Good News, which is for our own members and co-workers. And, always these things are reported in The Good News. Then I send out every month a letter to our members and co-workers that is private from me. I always inform them of these things and where I am, where I'm writing and very often I say I'm writing at the 43,000-foot elevation over the Pacific Ocean or over the Atlantic Ocean and where I've been. And then we have the Pastor's Report that goes on every week to all of the ministers all over the world. And that's what is it? Some 400 or more different ministers are scattered all over the world. And we keep them constantly informed. That's what they send money here for.

   More of our program right after this announcement.

   The Worldwide Church of God is an international ecclesiastical organization. Each week, it conducts church services in nearly 600 cities in the United States, Canada, and around the world. The church operates Ambassador College in Pasadena, California, a four-year liberal arts institution. The Worldwide Church of God is the sponsoring body of the Ambassador International Cultural Foundation through which it supports a wide range of scientific, humanitarian, and cultural endeavors.

   Despite these activities, adverse publicity has recently characterized the Worldwide Church of God as a cult. While the church does not actively solicit members, it is concerned that its international reputation be maintained. This booklet is a clear statement of the church's history and purposes. If you'd like a free copy of 'This Is the Worldwide Church of God,' call this toll-free number: 800-423-4444. That's 800-423-4444.

   The Worldwide Church of God, founded by Herbert W. Armstrong, first started as a weekly religious radio program airing in Eugene, Oregon in the year 1934. The church's best-known publication, The Plain Truth magazine, was first printed in 1934 as well and appeared as a four-page mimeographed periodical. During these past 45 years, the growth of the church has been sure and steady, with many changes taking place.

   From its simple beginnings, the Worldwide Church of God has developed into a multifaceted religious organization worldwide. Ambassador College was founded by Herbert Armstrong in 1947. Its purpose was primarily to provide the church with an educated professional ministry. It began with 10 faculty members and four students, and amid numerous pronouncements that it could not possibly survive. Over the past 30 years, the campus, which also serves as the headquarters for the church, has been painstakingly built. On the campus is the Ambassador Auditorium, one of Southern California's leading centers for the performing arts. Concerts and performances here are arranged through the auspices of the church-founded Ambassador International Cultural Foundation. The foundation also publishes Quest 79, a highly acclaimed new magazine devoted to chronicling the pursuit of excellence in human activity.

   The church operates state-of-the-art television and radio production facilities. It prints 2.4 million copies of The Plain Truth each month. It offers over 250 separate pieces of literature, all free, on subjects ranging from biblical doctrines to evolution to economic and political problems. For its members, the church publishes The Good News, a magazine devoted to doctrinal expositions and discussions of Christian living. It also publishes a bi-weekly church newspaper covering primarily social activities of local churches and the personal accomplishments of members.

   Worldwide Church of God services are now held weekly in 329 cities in the United States, 71 cities in Canada, as well as in 174 cities in other countries. The Worldwide Church of God believes that the primary duty of the modern Christian church is to actively preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God. From its inception, the media effort of Herbert Armstrong has been dedicated to conveying biblical information and understanding about Christ's second coming and the Kingdom of God, rather than attempting to affect conversions or save lost souls.

   The function of the church is to back the apostles that God has called to get the gospel out. Apostles are those sent forth. The church did back them up when Peter and John had been in prison overnight and accused and threatened. If they ever preached the name of Christ again, they went to the church brethren, and there were only a few at that time, yet. It was very, just a day or so after the day of Pentecost when the church was founded. But they needed to go to the church to get support and have their morale boosted up again. And they did.

   Now I mentioned in a former program how Satan really is deceiving the whole world, and God has cut the world off from Him, except those few that God has called. I didn't go into very much about that in the former program, by the way. God has called certain ones. He called Noah because He wanted to save the earth alive. He was drowning all humanity because it had become so rotten in the way it was living. Noah was the one man perfect in his genealogy and generation, who also walked with God.

   Later, God called Abraham, or originally he was called Abram, and he is the father of a number of nations.

   One of the majority of people that are not called, are they lost? That the greatest mistake, and the most general misconception, an error most widely believed of many, is that everybody is lost unless they get saved, and pretty soon it will be too late. That is as false as hell itself, and the kind of hell people talk about is false.

   No, the majority are just not being judged. Just those that God has called. However, what they do in this life is going to come in the judgment. There is to come a judgment for them, and it will be at a resurrection called the Great White Throne Resurrection, recorded in the 20th chapter of Revelation. And, what they have done in this life is then gonna be on the record, and they're going to be judged by it and by what they do then.

   But they will all be given a chance then to repent of it, and to let the blood of Jesus Christ completely cover it all, and to be completely forgiven, and to inherit the Kingdom of God. They will all have that chance.

   For example, Christ said to the scribes and Pharisees, 'It'll be more tolerable for those of Sodom and Gomorrah, possibly the most vile, wicked cities that ever existed. It will be more tolerable for them than for you in the judgment.' So, you see that shows that the things that the Pharisees, Sadducees, and the Scribes were doing and bringing up against Christ at that time are going to be brought up against them in their judgment, but they're not yet being judged.

   And when it is brought up, I will tell you this. I know God this well. I know that if they do repent, they will have a chance to repent and turn from it, and then to accept Christ as their Savior, and they will gain eternal life.

   But those of us that are called now, the few are called for what you find in Revelation 3:21 and Revelation 2:26 and 27. We will sit with Christ in His throne. He had to overcome Satan in order to sit in that throne, which is now occupied by Satan. If we're going to sit in that throne with Him, we have to overcome Satan, the same as He did.

   We have to overcome Satan. The people that are saved during the millennium, which will soon dawn, will not have Satan to overcome. On the other hand, they don't have as big a prize waiting for them either, but they will have salvation available for them. You know these things are a wonderful truth if we could just understand and realize what is in this book.

   For the free literature offered on this program, write Herbert W Armstrong Pasadena, California 91123 in Canada Box 44, Vancouver BC or in the continental United States, you may call this toll-free number 800-423-4444. That's 800-423-4444 in California dial direct 213-577-5225. The preceding program and all literature were produced by the Worldwide Church of God.