Herbert W Armstrong

   The United States is not just getting closer to war. The United States today is in the war. President Roosevelt has said that the shooting has already started, and history records that Germany fired the first shot and against ships of the United States Navy at that. In spite of the fact that Adolf Hitler has been trying to declare to the world, and probably for local consumption, that it was the United States Navy who fired the first shot, of course, intending to try to invoke the treaty with Japan to bring Japan into the war.

   Now, if this were 1917, the sinking of American destroyers undoubtedly would have brought an instant declaration of war from the country. But this is not the year of 1917. And it's very possible that no declaration of war will come because today nations just start fighting without a formal declaration of war.

   But now another scheme of Hitler's comes to life. As soon as he has concluded his operations in Russia, another Supreme peace offensive may be launched. And Mark you, this plan is entirely possible according to Bible prophecy.

   Now here is the plan. With much solemn ceremony, Hitler will announce to the world the proclamation of Neuroma, as it is called or to be called, saying that German military operations have been successfully concluded and that the Reich has reached its final objective. It wants no more; it will fight no more unless forced into defensive fighting. Hitler will announce the establishment of his new Europe. He will deny that he has in mind any new world order. He only had in mind a new order for Europe.

   He will then depend on certain prominent isolationists in the United States to shout to the American people, "We told you so. Hitler never had any designs against America. The war is over. Why go on fighting or preparing?"

   This country will be called upon to recognize and to work along with Hitler's New Europe. If President Roosevelt and other American leaders refuse, they will be branded as warmongers. The people will be told that Hitler wants no more war. Hitler wants only peace. It is only our American leaders who want war. The Nazi idea is that this will swing public opinion in this country against any further defense effort, completely wreck the morale of America and the soldiers in training, and stop the gigantic American production of planes and tanks and ships and guns, now just getting underway in real power.

   But in the meantime, of course, Hitler would have a much-needed breathing spell. And while the democracies would be unable to rally their people to any further intensive effort toward arming, while we'd lose our heart and our interest in arming and decide that there is nothing more to fight for, we'd send our soldiers home. We would begin to slow down the defense effort. Germany would consolidate her gains, marshal all her newly gained resources, build a stronger armed power than ever. And then, at the right moment, perhaps one, two, three, five years from now, when we are again weak and unable to defend ourselves, Germany would invade both Britain and America.

   Hitler figures that our American people are so gullible and such dupes that they will never see through this trick and will fall for it completely.

   Now, this plan may never be put into operation at all. I'm only giving it to you as one of Hitler's plans which he may use, depending altogether on how events turn in the near future. But one thing is certain according to Bible prophecy: the time is yet coming when, as we read in I Thessalonians, the fifth chapter, they will proclaim and shout "peace and safety." That message will go out, and peace and safety will be proclaimed to the world as we find it described in I Thessalonians, the fifth chapter. Let me read you just the first six verses (I Thessalonians 5:1-6).

   Paul says, "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the Day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night." Now, I want you to notice, friends, he is not here talking of the coming of the Lord, but the Day of the Lord. And he's speaking here of the times and seasons. He says that the brethren, that is, those who have God's Spirit, those whose names are written in heaven, those who have been really and truly converted and have the Holy Spirit to guide them to an understanding of the Bible and the Bible prophecies, have no need. They understand because we have these prophecies and we have God's Holy Spirit to open them to our understanding. We know what is going to happen.

   There's only one way that you can know what is going to happen in the world, and that is from the Bible prophecy. And so here Paul says, "Yourselves know, you know perfectly, that the Day of the Lord"—notice he's speaking of the Day of the Lord—"the Day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they"—now, not you, but they, that is, those who are not converted, not God's people, the people of the world, the nations of the world—"when they shall say, 'Peace and safety,' as the world will proclaim, then, notice, sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape."

   Now, the Day of the Lord is a time of destruction sent from the Almighty. I'll read you in just a moment some of the other texts describing this Day of the Lord and what it is. But the Day of the Lord is coming like a thief in the night. And when the nations cry "Peace and safety," then this sudden destruction of the Day of the Lord will come upon them, upon these nations, as travail upon a woman with child, and they, the nations, shall not escape.

   "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day. We are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober." And I tell you, my friends, that's God's warning to us now.

   Well, now, the forerunner of this prophesied proclamation was the Pact of Paris that was signed back in 1927. But this proclamation, the proclamation that is prophesied here, will be made on a much more vast and impressive worldwide scale, yet in the future, just before the terrible Day of the Lord, a time when Almighty God will intervene and send his supernatural and tremendous plagues upon the sins of mankind on this earth.

   My friends, for 2,520 years, God has not intervened. He turned the governing of this world over to the Gentile nations for a duration of 2,520 years. And during that time, God has kept hands off. And so you hear the people of the world say today that the day of miracles has passed, and people think God has gone way off on a long vacation, or he's so far away he doesn't look down on this earth, he isn't much concerned about what's going on here, or perhaps he's like the professor emeritus. He used to do great things, but he's grown old and feeble and weak. People seem to have that conception of the Almighty today.

   But I want to tell you, my friends, that the time is coming when the times of the Gentiles are completely ended, when Almighty God is going to step in and intervene in world affairs. And he's going to shake terribly this earth, and people will know that the Lord, he is God because God is going to reveal himself with supernatural plagues.

   Now, we read here in 1st—well, let me turn back first to Joel, back in the book of Joel. I want you to notice what it says about the day of the Lord in the 14th and 15th verses of the first chapter (Joel 1:14-15): "Sanctify," which means set apart, "ye a fast, fasting and prayer. Call a solemn assembly in the church. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord, your God." That's the church house. "And cry unto the Lord, 'Alas for the day! For the Day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.'"

   As a destruction from the Almighty, God will send it. It will be a time of destruction. God is going to send that. I tell you, my friends, at the close of the times of the Gentiles, and plagues are coming, and the world is going to know that there is a God.

   Then in the second chapter of Joel, the first verse (Joel 2:1): "Blow ye the trumpet." That is an alarm of war because war is coming again. "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion and sound an alarm in my holy mountain." God's holy nation the church. "Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble for the day of the Lord cometh, and it is nigh at hand, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains," and so on, going on to describe then war and conditions of that kind.

   Now, for just a moment, notice real quickly what we read in Zephaniah, the first chapter, beginning with the 14th verse of the book of Zephaniah, the prophecy of Zephaniah (Zephaniah 1:14): "The great Day of the Lord is near. It is near and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the Day of the Lord. The mighty man shall cry there bitterly." He's going to have his troubles when this comes. "That day is a day of wrath." It's the wrath of Almighty God against the sins and the sinners of this world. "A day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fence, that is the fenced cities," in other words, a time of war, "and against the high towers. And God says, 'I will bring distress upon men, and they shall walk like blind men.' Why? Because they have sinned against the Lord, and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the Day of the Lord's wrath. But the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy, and he shall even make a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land."

   There we have it. That's just a few texts showing you what the Day of the Lord is.

   And now in closing, let me read you again what Moffatt's translation gives us in this fifth chapter of I Thessalonians, I Thessalonians fifth chapter (I Thessalonians 5:2-3). "You know perfectly well that the Day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night. When all is well and all safe are on the lips of men, then all of a sudden destruction is upon them, like pangs on a pregnant woman. Escape, there is none. Well then, we, we of God's own children, must not sleep like the rest of men, but be wakeful and sober. For sleepers sleep by night, and drunkards are drunk by night. But we must be sober, we who belong to the day, clad in faith and love as our coat of mail, with hope of salvation our helmet. For God destined us not to wrath, but to gain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that waking in life or sleeping in death, we could live together with him. Encourage one another, therefore, and let each edify the other, as indeed you are doing."

   Oh, our Father in heaven, we thank you that you've warned us in advance of these things to come. We thank you, Father, that we know and that you have not appointed us to wrath if we'll only turn to you and repent of our sins here and now and turn to you through Jesus Christ, our Lord. We thank you, Father, that you have protection in store for us. Help us all to heed the warning while there is yet time and to turn to you. We ask in Jesus' name.

   Friends, do you know what Bible prophecy says about Hitler's invasion of Russia? Why does God permit this World War and all the anguish and the tragedy and the suffering and the bloodshed in this world today? How can a God of love stand by and not stop it? Do you know why God permits it? Why he doesn't intervene? Where is the United States mentioned in Bible prophecy, and what does prophecy say of our destiny as a people? America stands in mortal danger now.

   Those are the articles in the current number of the Plain Truth. If you want to know what Bible prophecy says about these things, my friends, then you will want to read this issue of the Plain Truth magazine, published for our listeners. The Plain Truth is free, no subscription price. All you have to do is just send your name and address to Herbert Armstrong, Box 111, Eugene, Herbert Armstrong, Box 111, Eugene, Oregon. We'll place it on the mailing list to receive every number of the Plain Truth free. Remember, there's no subscription price. A magazine devoted to prophecy and world events right up to the minute as they are fulfilling Bible prophecy, making the prophecies plainer to you. I know you'll want it. Send your name and address today.

   So, until next Sunday, same time, same station, goodbye, friends. God bless you all.