New Scientific Horrors
Among all the fantastic ideas being thought of to stop an enemy nation from attacking with nuclear weapons is the idea of the "ultimate weapon" — the "DOOMSDAY MACHINE." Such a machine, some think, would be the "ultimate deterrent." Here is the conception of such a machine by one of the nation's outstanding thinkers on military research, Herman Kahn, physicist: Such a machine "might be built within a decade for perhaps ten to one hundred billion dollars . . . and programmed by a computer to fire at the first flash of an enemy attack, DESTROYING THE WORLD with radiation, heat or profound climatic change." Kahn says there would be "nothing left to orbit the sun but the cinder of a planet shrouded in an atomic cloud." No nation, it is hoped, would dare launch an attack in the face of such a total threat.
Americans today generally refuse to face squarely the issue of a war with such horrifying weapons and call it simply "unthinkable."
"We must think about the unthinkable, or perish," Kahn maintains.
He states: "The ultimate solution to Armageddon . . . is some form of arms control and rule of law, possibly under a world government."
The REAL Hope of Civilization
Our leaders now realize that the only real hope of saving our civilization from self-destruction is the eventual formation of a strong WORLD GOVERMENT. But all attempts at this encounter suspicion, distrust, and hate. The hard fact is that man has consistently failed, and will continue to fail to attain this objective.
Men will NEVER achieve a successful world government because the greed, covetousness, and lust for power of world leaders will always keep them from being willing to make the sacrifices such a universal government would involve. The Apostle James says that these same lusts are the basic cause of war: "From whence come wars and fighting among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not, ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain; ye FIGHT and WAR, yet ye have not, because ye ask not" (Jas. 4:1-2).
Human nature has not changed.
Men are still quite willing to spill the blood of their fellows to satisfy their lust and greed. Do the men of this world really know the WAY to peace? God Almighty says of sinful men in general: "The WAY of peace have they not known" (Rom. 3:17).
We hear a lot of sentimental platitudes about the hopes of achieving peace through the United Nations. But the pitiful RESULTS confirm Paul's inspired statement that carnal men simply don't know the way to peace.
It may be an unpleasant fact, but it is still a FACT.
Let's not hide our eyes from these realities and be overtaken by our DOOM. The events in this world prove the Bible stands fast. Evil men are continuing to "wax worse and worse." More than at any other time in history, men are traitors and truce breakers as Paul prophesied. Man has proved himself incapable of bringing peace to this earth. He does not even know the WAY to peace. His character is basically lustful and evil — and waxing worse in these end times. Only God can change it.
Most significant of all, as we have seen, man now has terrifying weapons of destruction which were formerly unheard of. NEVER BEFORE in human history have such weapons existed! Times
HAVE CHANGED! Guided missiles and earth satellites, horrifying nerve gases, hydrogen bombs and rockets — all these and many more scientific horrors — make WORLD SUICIDE a definite, fearful possibility!
The ONLY real hope is the intervention in world affairs of the Creator God Himself. Can we GRASP this?
How to Understand
Jesus' own prophecy of His second coming to prevent human annihilation has already been briefly discussed. But in this prophecy, Jesus warned that most men would either disbelieve or be in ignorance of this momentous event until it actually took place. He compared them to the men in Noah's time who unheedingly continued in their worldly endeavors. "Until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be" (Mat. 24:38-39).
Why are men in such great IGNORANCE of this vital subject today? Why are they so backward and skeptical about investigating the ONLY REAL HOPE for the continuance of mankind on this earth?
It is because most people — and even most churchgoers — are in almost total IGNORANCE of the countless prophecies in the Bible which clearly reveal that God has ordained that His Son Jesus Christ shall RULE this earth for a thousand years and teach men the way to peace! Your Bible shows that this is to occur after a DEFINITE SERIES OF EVENTS. It will occur after man has had time to write a lesson in human suffering to show once and for all that his own ways literally lead to DEATH (Prov. 14:12).
In a basic prophecy describing this definite series of events before Christ's intervention in human affairs, the prophet Daniel foresaw the rise and fall of four great world-ruling empires which would culminate in the establishment of God's government on this earth (Dan. 2:36-45). These kingdoms known by all Bible scholars to be the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greco-Macedonian, and Roman Empires. Verses 41-43 indicate that the end time revivals of the Roman Empire in central Europe would be less stable than at first, but would continue until God intervened.
Nevertheless, an amalgamation of nations in central Europe comprising a revived ROMAN EMPIRE was prophesied to exist until Christ's second coming. "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall NEVER be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but is shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever" (Verse 44).
Isaiah prophesied that in the "last days" God's Kingdom would be established here on earth and that "all nations shall flow unto it" (Isa. 2:1-4). At this time, Christ will teach men the WAY to peace. "And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, NEITHER SHALL THEY LEARN WAR ANY MORE" (Verse 4).
One of the principle thoughts in these prophecies is that Christ is coming to save the world from SELF-DESTRUCTION and will begin to teach all nations with force as necessary — the WAY of peace.
Christ's Coming is NEEDED
The bodily return of the Divine Christ is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to keep man from destroying himself, and to make possible the strong world government — the KINGDOM OF GOD — which will keep the peace and make possible the literal utopia for which mankind longs so much!
In every age, God has had His ministers — His prophets — to WARN those who would heed, of His DIVINE INTERVENTION, and how they might come under His protection from any impending calamity. God promises in His Word: "Surely the Lord God will do NOTHING but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7).
Where are God's prophets today?
As you continue to listen carefully to The WORLD TOMORROW broadcast and to read and study with your Bible, The PLAIN TRUTH magazine, the answer to that question will soon become very apparent. For there is NO OTHER SOURCE from where you can get real UNDERSTANDING of the definite prophesied events in world affairs which are now occurring and beginning to occur.
Long before the European Common Market ever came into being — long before Germany revived into the MOST POWERFUL industrial and political nation in central Europe — this work was warning America and Britain in definite terms of these prophesied events!
For these nations now uniting in Europe will ultimately comprise the "Beast" of Revelation 17 — the final revival of the Holy Roman Empire!
It will be this highly militaristic, pagan, yet church-dominated system which Jesus Christ will have to CRUSH at His second coming.
There will be exactly ten kings or dictators ruling over ten nations or groups of nations which will comprise this system. They will all give their power eventually unto one super dictator — prophetically called the "Beast" (Rev. 17:12-13). This dictator and the entire system will be heavily influenced and dominated by a false church system called a fallen woman or "great whore" which sits upon and guides this political "Beast" (Verses 1-3).
The book of Revelation, together with Matthew 24, shows the exact order of world-shaking events preceding Christ's return to this earth. For a complete exposition of this subject, write immediately for Mr. Armstrong's free booklet, "The Key to the Book of Revelation."
Where GOD Is Working
For over a quarter of a century, this work of God has been definite and specific in showing the world — event by event — EXACTLY what is going to take place before the second coming of Jesus Christ! Can you grasp the SIGNIFICANCE of this?
This work alone has been warning America and Britain of the specific punishments which are coming upon us. Millions in America and Britain have learned through this work that we are God's people Israel, and that He is going to deal with us as His chosen people — chosen for a service we have FAILED to perform.
Prophesying of what His true ministers would be doing at the time of the end, Jesus said: "Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of Man become" (Mat. 10:23).
This work of God is now THUNDERING the warning message from Christ to the major cities of America and Britain, Canada, Australia and South Africa. Modern Israel is rapidly being WARNED before it is too late! This also is the fulfillment of prophecy.
People may argue and reason, and have their own ideas. They did in Jesus' day, and the religious leaders rejected and ultimately crucified even HIM.
But He said: "If I do not the WORKS of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in Him" (John 10:37-38).
This is the WORK Christ is doing through His human instruments today! God the Father and Christ Himself are "IN" this very work.
You need to begin really STUDYING The PLAIN TRUTH magazine, the booklets offered freely over The WORLD TOMORROW broadcast, and to take the Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course. Others may hem and haw about a coming world catastrophe, or shout that "the Lord may come tonight" or similar emotional and general statements. But this work of God stands ALONE in being able to clearly depict — event by event — the EXACT order of major world events BEFORE they happen and to show the tremendous MEANING of these events in the light of the great PURPOSE which God is working out here below!
Jesus said: "And this Gospel of the Kingdom (the coming world government of God) shall be preached in all the world for a WITNESS unto all nations; and then shall the end come" (Mat. 24:14). That "witness" of Christ's return and God's coming world government is coming to you NOW as you read these lines!
May God grant you an open mind and help you to study, to pray, and to ACT on the knowledge you are receiving through His Word and through His human servants in this climactic age!