Herbert W Armstrong

   Where is the world headed now? What is going to develop out of the Middle Eastern strife, out of Poland, out of the many other trouble spots all around the world? Prognosticators can't tell you; they don't know what is going to happen. Only the Eternal God knows.

   Now, there is a purpose being worked out here, as Winston Churchill said when he addressed the United States Congress during World War II. I repeat that once again, as I have many times before: he said, there is a purpose being worked out here below that certainly implies God Almighty above working it out.

   Now, the Bible is God speaking, and the Bible is filled with prophecies. About one-third of all of the Bible is devoted to prophecy. And about 90% of all of that is devoted to prophecies of the present time and those that are going to happen in the very next few years in this very generation. We are in the time, the Bible calls the time of the end. We're at the time of the end of this present world, this present civilization.

   But where are we right now in the panorama and the time sequence of prophesized events in this master plan that God Almighty is working out here on the earth? People don't know what is going on. They don't know why people were put on earth. They don't know what is being worked out here below, the purpose of human life, where we're going, what is the way, what are the causes of what is happening in the world right now?

   Well, the Book of Revelation, often called the Apocalypse, is the chief book of Prophecy in the New Testament. It is the Revelation of Jesus Christ. It is a book that was written in symbolic language. It was a book intended to be closed to human understanding. Until the time of the end, you will read that in the very twelfth chapter of the book of Daniel about all prophecies; they have been closed until now.

   But remember, the Book of Revelation is the revealing or the revelation of Jesus Christ. He is the one who reveals, the Revelator who opens it to our understanding. Now, he does not open it to our understanding in the Book of Revelation, but he does open that very same prophecy to our understanding and interpret the Book of Revelation elsewhere. And you'll find that in the 24th chapter of Matthew, the 21st chapter of Luke, and the 13th chapter of Mark in the New Testament, where Jesus himself is quoted.

   Now, the 24th chapter of Matthew may be the chief prophecy of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. And there, he speaks in plain language that we can all understand, and he is explaining really what is happening back in the Book of Revelation.

   Now, I want to backtrack a little bit from what I had in the preceding program on this series. I want to go back to the 24th chapter of Matthew. And once again, I would like to begin with verse three (Matthew 24:3-6). Jesus had been with his disciples at the temple and he was showing them the buildings of the temple and telling them how the time was coming when the stones of that building would be torn down, the whole building would be destroyed, and not one stone would be left upon another.

   So, a little later, beginning in verse three, as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto 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, I want you to notice that once again, they asked for really two different things. First, they said, "Tell us, when shall these things be?" what thing, the things that he had just been talking to them a few minutes before down at the temple, the destruction of the temple actually that happened in the year of 70 A.D., in their lifetime. So, the first question, they asked him what is going to happen in our time, then the first century between 31 A.D. and 70 A.D., and they asked him another question, something else, "What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" Now, they thought that the second coming of Christ would occur in their lifetime. They were mistaken about that. Actually, it was going to be more than 1950 years later. But they didn't know that. But they also asked him secondly, what will be the sign of his coming?

   Now he answered the first part of their question first. He didn't answer it all at once. So, Jesus answered and said unto them, answering all the first part of the question, what would happen in their lifetime in the first century? "Take heed that no man deceive you." Now, who is he talking to? His disciples. "Take heed that no man deceive you," the disciples. He was talking to them and something in their lifetime.

   But many shall come in my name saying, "I am the Christ," and shall receive the many. Now, there were not many that came in their lifetime saying that those people were Christ. And he didn't mean that, as I've mentioned before, you can search all through the Bible wherever it mentions someone coming in the name of Christ, and all it is speaking of someone claiming to be a minister of Christ to preach his gospel. And that's what it is referring to here. People coming saying that Jesus is the Christ and yet deceiving the many. How could that be?

   I've told you before. I'll quote it a little later. Jesus himself said, "In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, making the law of God have no effect by your traditions." That's what many were doing even then. That's what they've been doing ever since. That's what many are doing now today.

   Now let's continue on. "And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars." But he said, "The end is not yet." That wasn't to be the end. Now, finally, he comes down to the end. He said in verse 14 (Matthew 24:14), he answered the second question. "This gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come." Now, the end was not to come until this Gospel of the Kingdom should be proclaimed in all the world, this gospel. He was referring to his own gospel. He had preached this gospel that he was preaching, the gospel of the Kingdom of God.

   Now, why does he mention the gospel of the Kingdom of God? Notice above, now, beginning with verse four (Matthew 24:4), "Take heed that no man deceive you, for many shall come in my name saying that I am the Christ and deceive many." In other words, ministers would come, claiming to be the minister of Christ. They would preach a gospel about him. They would say Jesus is the Christ. They would only point people to worship Christ, but they would omit his gospel.

   Now, Jesus was a messenger sent from God with the gospel. He said he had spoken nothing of himself. He spoke only what God the Father told him to say. You read in the third chapter of Malachi that he was sent as a messenger bringing a message from God. His gospel was that message. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the gospel message that Jesus proclaimed. Now, what he said was that many would come preaching that Jesus is the Christ, merely preaching about the messenger and preaching about his person are saying, "Receive Christ, believe on Christ." And that's all there is to it, but not preaching his message. His message was the kingdom of God. And so, that message was not going to be preached.

   Now, I want to give you a few of the scriptures right at this place. In other words, they were going to be preaching a false gospel. Now, if you will turn real quickly or listen as I turn to Galatians, the first chapter, in verses six and seven (Galatians 1:6-7), this was written about 53 A.D.. Jesus had been talking to them either 30 or 31 A.D., and this is not too much later, but the Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians. He said, "I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you in to the grace of Christ unto another gospel, a different gospel, deceiving the people and suppressing the true gospel of Jesus to another gospel, which is not another, but there would be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ."

   Now, Paul had preached only the gospel of the Kingdom of God, as you read in the Book of Acts in a number of places. The next verses, he says (Galatians 1:8), "But though we or an angel in heaven or from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that that we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." And then he repeated that curse as a double curse.

   Now, Paul had preached the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Jesus had proclaimed the gospel of the Kingdom of God, but they turned to another gospel. Jesus said they would come preaching that Jesus is the Christ, but turning to another gospel, that's precisely what they did. That's precisely what you are hearing now today, except on this program, that gospel was not proclaimed for 1900 years.

   And precisely 1900 years later, after Paul wrote this letter in 53 A.D., in 1953, this gospel of the Kingdom began to go out over all Europe, right after it had gone coast to coast all over the United States. From my voice. It went out on the most powerful radio station in the world, Radio Luxembourg in Europe, in the first week in 1953. Exactly, precisely 100 a century of time cycles or 1900 years after it had been suppressed.

   Jesus warned them of that. Now, he said at the end, you will know when this gospel of the Kingdom is proclaimed once again. It has not been proclaimed in that 1900 years, it had not been proclaimed. You are hearing it, and that message of the proclaiming of this gospel of the Kingdom of God, you're hearing in your ears this very second on your radio set.

   Now, I would like to turn a little further now to turn back to II Corinthians the 11th chapter. And in verse three (II Corinthians 11:3), the Apostle Paul said in his letter to the church of God at Corinth. He said, "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your hearts, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh," in other words, false prophets or other preachers, "preach another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive another spirit which you have not received or another gospel."

   Now, they did begin to receive another gospel, and they preached to Jesus who was a smart elk young man and had done away with his Father's laws and his Father's commandments. But Jesus said, "I have kept my Father's commandments think not that I have come to destroy the law." He said he had not come to destroy but to fulfill. And yet they preached that the commandments and the law of God was done away, that's been preached.

   Then again, I would like to have you notice just a few verses later, this same chapter beginning with verse 13 (II Corinthians 11:13-15), Paul said, "For such, the false apostles misleading people, such are false apostles deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ, pretending to be the ministers of Christ, but misleading and deceiving the people with the gospel about Christ but not preaching his message." And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers, Satan's ministers mark you. If Satan's ministers who come pretending to be the ministers of Jesus Christ, claiming to be the ministers of Jesus Christ, they be transformed as the ministers of righteousness whose end shall be according to their works.

   And I want to tell you that that has happened and it has been going on for 1900 years and it is continuing in the traditional Christianity of this day, holding to the traditions of men.

   Now, I want to quote this other scripture and I'm going to turn to the Bible and read it once again, the seventh chapter of the book of Mark, Mark 7, beginning with verse 6 (Mark 7:6). Jesus said, "This people honoureth me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Howbeit, in vain do they worship me, they honor Christ with their lips, they worship Christ. Notice this, would you think that people could worship Christ and do it in vain? Worship him and do it all in vain? He said, how be it in vain? Do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, making the command of God of no effect for leaving the command of God. I was quoting from another scripture where it says almost the same thing, for leaving the command of God, you hold to the traditions of men." And he said unto them, "Full well, you reject the commandment of God that you may hold to your traditions," traditional Christianity, my friends. And that's precisely what he's referring to here, referring to the future as a prophecy for our time.

   Now, what was Christ's gospel? We need to get back to see just what was his gospel. Turn now to Mark the very first chapter and verse one (Mark 1:1), the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And then verses 14 and 15 (Mark 1:14-15), they come to that gospel. Now, after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel. What gospel, the gospel of the Kingdom of God, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God. That is the gospel that Jesus preached. And saying, "The time is fulfilled. The Kingdom of God is at hand repent ye and believe the gospel." People don't believe that gospel today because it hasn't been preached to them. Except on this program.

   God has raised me up to proclaim that gospel, and you had better heed it because it isn't being proclaimed generally around the world.

   Now, what is a kingdom? In this case, the Kingdom of God is the family of God. A kingdom is a government, a kingdom is a nation and a government with a king, with people, a jurisdiction that the king has jurisdiction over in ruling the people, and with laws and government. But in the Bible sense, the Kingdom of God is the family of God into which those whom God has called and through Christ have come to God can be born again, immortal, not in flesh and blood, but immortal and enter the very family of God. And it is the family of God which is going to govern the whole world and govern all the nations of this world.

   You know, world-famous scientists and heads of governments have said that the only hope now of this world and for any world peace is a one-world nation, one nation ruling the whole world. But in the hands of man, that is utterly impossible. But in the hands of God, it is going to be possible. And I'm proclaiming that to you right now. That was the message of Christ, the government of God, the family of God into which we can be born, they talk about born again Christians. Are you born again now?

   I would like for you to turn now to Romans, in Romans the eighth chapter and beginning with verse 9, verses 9 and 11 now (Romans 8:9, 11), "But you are not in the flesh but in the spirit if so be that the spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his. If the Holy Spirit of God is not dwelling in you, I don't care how many churches you belong to. You are none of Christ. You are not a Christian unless the spirit of God is in you. And unless you are being led by that spirit in your daily life, unless the spirit of God is actuating your very life."

   But verse 11, "If the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken. That is, make immortal. You are a mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you. That's when we will be born again. That's when we will be saved. And that's at the second coming of Christ and not before. Now, Jesus said to Nicodemus, you must be born again. But he said that which is born of flesh is flesh, we are flesh now, that's in the third chapter of the book of John in the New Testament."

   Then he also went on to say verse 6 (John 3:6), "But that which is born of the spirit is spirit. You are not spirit, you are still flesh and blood." Now, if we turn to I Corinthians 15, I'd like for you to read a little of what Paul the apostle said to the church of Corinth beginning with verse 15 and the 15th chapter of I Corinthians (I Corinthians 15:50). "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, cannot be born again, cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. If we are the children of God, we are heirs of God, but not yet inheritors, not yet possessors, only heirs, flesh and blood, cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. Neither doth corruption inherit incorruption."

   "Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, let us be dead in its bible language, but we shall all be changed. We will be changed when? Change how? Change when? Notice the next verse (I Corinthians 15:52), In a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed."

   Now, I would like to read just a verse to you from Philippians. The end of the third chapter of Philippians, Philippians 3, beginning in verse 21 (Philippians 3:21). Speaking of the Lord Jesus, "Who shall change our vile body, this mortal body, many people think they've been born again already in this body. He shall change this vile body, which is not yet born again, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body. And his glorious body is described in the first chapter of Revelation, with his eyes, like flames of fire and his face shining like the very sun, full strength in all of its brightness. You have not heard that gospel preached, my friends, except on this program. Why I ask you why, you know, the greatest shock that ever came to me in all my life was now about 56 years ago when I began to open the Bible. And I found that it was saying precisely the opposite of what I had been taught in one of the traditional Christian churches, a very highly respected church. I believed what I had grown up believing what my church had taught. I, I didn't know all of its doctrines, but I, I did think that I knew, and I didn't know, I just thought I knew I was an immortal soul and that if I did well, I would go to heaven when I died. And if I didn't, I'd go to a burning hell or I'd burn and burn and burn and never burn up, but just be screaming and torture forever and ever and ever."

   "And then I turn to Romans the sixth chapter in verse 23 (Romans 6:23), and I read there to my surprise, the wages of sin. And wages is what you get paid for what you've done, and what you've done in this case is sin. And it said, the wages of sin is death. Then if you sin, what you get paid is death, not eternal life and hellfire. I thought the wages of sin was eternal life, not death. Then the next part of the same verse actually shocked me even more. It said, but the gift of God, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Why said the gift of God way? Why should I need the gift of God? I already have an immortal soul or I have one. But then I began to search other scriptures and I found that I was only mortal. I only had a temporary existence. I came out of the ground. My life came by the breath of air and by the circulation of blood. And it is fueled by food and water from the ground. I came out of the ground. I'm just something that came out of the ground out of matter with a temporary chemical existence. That's all you are now. You are not born again immortal, you are flesh and blood and flesh and blood cannot and has not inherited the kingdom of God, but we can be now heirs of Christ and receive the spirit of God, which is the impregnation of immortal life. We are only begotten children of God in this life.

   Now a fetus in its mother's womb is the begotten child of its parents already. It is a begotten child but it is not born yet. And that's the condition we are in spiritually, we are not yet born. You need to write for our booklet. What do you mean born again? I had intended to announce that I'll just announce it. What do you mean born again? Why don't you look it up and understand it right out of the Bible. Don't believe me. Believe what you see in the Bible, open up your Bible, blow the dust off of it. Look into it for yourself. It is God speaking, believe God don't believe me. Very few people want to believe God, they'd rather believe men. They'd rather believe the traditions of men. But Jesus said, in vain, do they worship me teaching the doctrines of men, the traditions of men and making the law of God of no effect by their traditions?

   Let me send you some things that will open up the Bible to your understanding as you've never understood it before. I have a booklet here. What is the True Gospel? Very few people know what that book is. What is the True Gospel? There's no charge, write for this booklet, the true gospel. Write for the booklet. What do you mean Born again? And if you do, we will be glad to send you a sample copy for if not already a subscriber to one of the world's mass circulation magazines. A magazine that I started back in 1934, a long time ago, and it has grown now to more than 5 million subscribers worldwide. It is published in six languages. The Plain Truth.

   A magazine of Understanding that deals with the events of the world as they're happening. Explains what they mean, the significance of what is going on in the world and the world events that are going on right now before your eyes, let me show you a little bit of what is in one of the magazines. You might not get this copy. Here's an article, the World Tension and Turmoil to escalate in this year, and it is escalating already, and it's going to continue to, then, A Universal Language is coming, a universal language where everybody on earth can speak the same language, and that will be a great blessing. It will be so that they can all worship God in the same language too. Then there is another article, let me see. Let me find another one. Here, here is a two-page spread. Who will mine the riches of the sea? Do you know how many riches are in the oceans and the ocean beds? Who is going to mine those who's going to get it, and something is going to happen in the future. It's a very eye-opening article then, A growing tragedy, a growing tragedy, Parents without a mate, children without a parent, and many other articles along that line, chemical waste, they ruin the earth and poison our water. You need to read these things, and the plain truth, there's no magazine like it.

   It's priceless money can't buy it. It's worth more than money. And yet there is no subscription price. We'll send you a sample copy. And if you like it, you may have on request a full year's subscription. No subscription price. Now write in for this literature, there's no request for money. It is free and I mean free. You think that nothing is free. Why don't you try me? Why don't you try me and find out and there's no follow-up request for money as a result and no obligation of course. You just send your name and address to me. Herbert W Armstrong at Pasadena California. That's the only address you need. Herbert W Armstrong Pasadena California 91123. Or you call toll-free. Go to the telephone. It's quicker. Just go to the telephone for a free call, toll-free. 800-423-4444. That's area code 800-423-4444. And that's all. But California and Hawaii and Alaska in those three states you call, collect area code 213-304-6111. Now that's area code 213-304-6111. So, until next time, this is Herbert W Armstrong. Goodbye, friends.