Herbert W. Armstrong Quote
Q. “But I think what you are saying is just philosophy and does not offer any solution to our problem. How will that produce peace now”?
A. “It won’t produce peace now. I am just telling you the facts of what will produce peace. And I say to you that we human beings are not going to produce peace. I think that all religions at least know that there is a higher power. They do not know what that higher power is. They don’t have it is defined perhaps because they don’t know. But there is a higher power, and that higher power is going to have to come and bring us peace. We are not going to bring peace. But the great Creator God is going to have to intervene and bring us peace if He has to force it upon us. And that is the way peace is finally going to come”.
Q. “As for Sri Lanka, we have prayed to God to solve our problems. But I don’t think even God can promote peace in this country”.
A. “I say to you that God could intervene right now. But that is not His will to do that, and He is not, I can tell you that He is not going to intervene right now. He’s going to let us learn some lessons. Human beings do not know that they should love their fellow man. And God is going to let us punish ourselves and bring about wars and kill so many people. It will come to the place where we would destroy every man, woman and child on the face of the earth. The weapons of mass destruction now exist! The United State has them, the Soviet Union has them, France has them, China has them. Other nations are beginning to have nuclear weapons. And a nuclear war could erase all human life from this earth! And conditions are going to come, and man is going to go on fighting one another. And men are going to go—I can’t change their minds! And no other man can change their minds. And man is going to have to learn a lesson. They’re going to come to the place where they would destroy the last man and woman and child on earth! Then the supreme God is going to intervene before that happens. And He is not going to intervene until we learn our lesson. Humanity won’t learn—I can tell you the way to peace. But you won’t believe me! You men right here won’t believe me! The world won’t believe me! I can’t bring you peace unless you would believe me, and you won’t! I’m speaking very plainly. I represent that Higher Power, and I know what He proposes! And I know what He is going to do! And He won’t do it until we have punished ourselves, to the place where we are willing to submit to Him. The trouble is, neither side in this problem that you are having here right now is willing to submit to that higher power. And as long as you won’t, you are going to fight and have trouble. And we are going to have to come to the place where we have to rely on Him to do it for us.
Sri Lankan Press Conference 1984
* World Tomorrow Commentary (MP3 audio)
* World Tomorrow Commentary (MP3 audio)
* World Tomorrow Commentary (Link)
Ambassador for World Peace –BTW 1985
End-time Proverbs
* The seeds of success are planted in failure.
* (For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the see, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.) Isa. 10: 22
* (It is always darkest before the dawn…..)
Reflections….
Because of an absolute dearth of true leadership, the world stands idly by witnessing the imminent collapse of the ‘Great Nation’ of prophecy—that is Manasseh or the U.S.A. This is due to a complete void in right morals, true principles and national consciousness based on right and wrong. When the Bible speaks of this ‘present evil world’ (Gal. 1: 4), this characterization could not be more accurate. Great leaders are strangely absent from almost every field of endeavour, whether it be politics, academia or religion. With the possible exception of the current prime ministers of Canada and Israel and perhaps a very few others, where have they all gone?
“Where, O where have all the great leaders gone….long time passing…long time ago”. The world is a much poorer place without them!
“Men since the beginning of time have sought peace. Various methods through the ages have been attempted to devise an international process to prevent or settle disputes between nations. From the very start, workable methods were found in so far as individual citizens were concerned, but the mechanics of an instrumentality of larger international scope has never been successful. Military alliances, balances of power, Leagues of Nations, all in turn failed, leaving the only path to be by way of the crucible of war. The utter destructiveness now blocks out this alternative. We have had our last chance. If we will not devise some greater and more equitable system, Armageddon will be at our door. The problem basically is theological and involves a spiritual recrudescence and improvement of human character that will synchronize with our matchless advances in science, art, literature and all the other material and cultural developments of the last 2000 years. It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh”.
General Douglas MacArthur address to the U.S. Congress, April 19, 1951
“If you will allow me to use other language, I will say that he must indeed have a blind soul who cannot see that some great purpose is being worked out here below of which we have the honour to be the faithful servants. It is not given to us to peer into the mysteries of the future. Still, I avow my hope and faith, sure and inviolate, that in the days to come the British and American peoples will, for their own safety and for the good of all, walk together in majesty and justice and in peace”. (Editors note: Please see Isaiah 9: 6-7)
Winston Churchill address to U.S. Congress December 26, 1941
‘The Doctrine of the Gospel
by Robert G. Goddard
Jesus Christ came into Galilee preaching the ‘Gospel [Good News] of the Kingdom of God’ and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the Gospel”. (Mk. 1: 14-15) Within these two verses, is a succinct summary of Christ’s mission on earth! The question is, is this still His mission, even though He is now in the third heaven. Is it now something different? Has it changed? If He were on earth today, would He somehow have CHANGED His message to conform to the more ‘current’ messages of the mainstream ‘Christianity’ of today?
Let us consider the implications of a different message other than the one Christ preached. In Mathew the 24th chapter and verse 14, we are told that ‘this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached as a witness to all, the world and then shall the end come’! It is hard to miss the importance, the absolute necessity of proclaiming the exact same message that Jesus preached so that the end can come! Indeed, as verse 22, explains, the world in the last days depends on the accomplishment of this all important activity in order to survive! Also, 2nd Corinthians the 11th chapter verse 4 tells us; ‘For if he that comes preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, if you receive another spirit, which you have not received, or another Gospel , which you have not accepted, you might well bear ‘with him’ – or ‘with me’ – that is the apostle Paul or what he taught!
Many years ago, a very prominent minister in the Church of God taught that a good title for the Bible might well be, ‘the History of the Nation of Israel’. This is a fairly good definition, although it leaves something out. One might ask, yes but, what is the purpose of the nation of Israel? In effect, what is God doing here below? Does He have a purpose, and if so – what is that purpose? Many years ago, the prime minister of Great Britain, Sir Winston Churchill, in speaking before the U.S. Congress said; “there is a great purpose being worked out hear”. However, Prime Minister Churchill did not know what that purpose was.
The one-true-church in the last days has clearly understood that the Bible is first and foremost, a book about government! That, in effect, at the original creation, the angels ‘shouted for joy’ (Job 38: 7), at the awesome creation of the entire vast universe (including the earth). And then as we read in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28, one third of the angels under Lucifer, were given responsibility to administer the ‘government of God’, on earth. In summary, after a massive rebellion and ‘war in heaven’, these angels, (now fallen spirits) were cast down, bringing about the utter destruction of the earth’s surface. No longer able to sustain life of any kind, the earth became without form and void. Interestingly, in the last days, humanity has now again come to the place where, except for the intervention of a ‘strong hand from some place’, this world again would become without form and void. Also the term, ‘smite the earth with a curse’ in Malachi 4: 6, means literally UTTER DESTRUCTION!
The identity of the nation of Canada is dependant upon the operation, the functioning the existence of the Government of Canada. Without the government of a nation, that nation becomes a none existent entity. The Government of Canada, defines, upholds laws, a constitution, regulations, expectations etc. Without the government of Canada, there is no Canada. Without the Government of God, there is no Kingdom of God!
The rebellion of Lucifer (now Satan and his demons), removed the government of God from earth. The great purpose that is being worked out here below is that God is going to re-establish His government, His Kingdom on earth. And God said; “let us make man in our image after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth”; (Gen. 1: 26).
Is the government of God now being administered by the Kingdom or family of God on earth? No!! The first Adam upon being given the opportunity rejected the tree of life. Thus consigning his descendants to continue under the sway and influence of Satan (still on earth’s throne), until the ‘second Adam’ should come and qualify, and then replace him at His second coming. In briefest summary, this was accomplished during what is commonly referred to as ‘Christ’s temptation’, recorded in; (Matt. 4 and Luke 4). Christ the second Adam, having done what the first Adam was given the opportunity and failed to do, went on to become humanities ‘sin bearer’ through Roman crucifixion and death, thus making it possible to reconcile humanity to God. By accepting Christ as our personal saviour, we have the priceless privilege of going on to be ultimately ‘born into’ the Kingdom of God. This has everything to do with the preaching of the Kingdom of God.
There could never be a Kingdom of God without a family of God to administer that government. Christ is now, through His church and a select group of ‘called-out-ones’ preparing to bring about all of this in this present generation. The Church is the Kingdom of God in embryo – it is now in training, learning to live by the Bible or constitution of that Kingdom so that they can become co-saviours in the World Tomorrow. The Bible deals with the Kingdom of God in every important aspect, from beginning to end. Some people are inclined to limit the preaching of the Kingdom of God to three words: [Kingdom of God]. This would be like limiting the Bible to its title or theme: [Kingdom of God]. Why go to the trouble of writing enormous manuscripts, if the title or theme was all that was important? The Bible is a book of over 1,200 pages which goes into great minute detail of the theme. The theme of the Bible is the Kingdom of God!
The preaching of the Kingdom of God entails a broad understanding of the entire Bible that of Who and What is God? What and why is man? The truth about angels and fallen spirits! The truth about the Nation of Israel! And of Civilization! It includes the understanding of why the Church? It certainly also includes the ultimate millennial rule of the conquering Jesus Christ and the saints!
Indeed the preaching of the Kingdom of God has to do with overall truth! And of course the Bible is the written Word of truth!
Yes, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Everything He breathed did and taught had everything to do with the Kingdom of God. He fulfilled His mission on earth. The question that is waiting to be answered – is – will all of God’s people do the same thing? This should be of great concern to God’s people. For those who will recall, the most important – yes the very reason for our being called now is to preach the Gospel. The reason why so many people were attracted to the Worldwide Church of God was because they understood the importance of fulfilling the GREAT COMMISSION! This twofold commission of [1] preach the Gospel, and [2] feed the flock, is the reason why we have been called now! And we must know what the true Gospel is in order to proclaim it! This is what drew MANY people to support Mr. Armstrong from 1933 going forward. He was the ONLY one in that time period who exemplified the passion, the foresight and the unwavering determination to accomplish the formidable task of fulfilling the Great Commission! That is the ongoing purpose of the Church in the last days. What are God’s people waiting for??
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