Hold Fast to "All things" (Herbert W Armstrong)

The "LITTLE BOOK" of Rev. 10

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Some ministers today are claiming that they are fulfilling the prophecy concerning the "Little Book" of Revelation chapter 10, as well as the work of the Ezekiel "watchman".  However, God's end-time APOSTLE, said and proved that both of those prophecies were one and the same, and that they HAVE BEEN fulfilled!  Furthermore, Mr. Armstrong shows that the prophecy of the "Little Book" has been fulfilled!  Don't let ANY "man" tell you otherwise!  The below 1976 coworker letter makes this crystal clear.

Letter to Co-Workers

By Herbert W. Armstrong

November 19, 1976

Dear co-workers with Christ,

It seems very possibly God has once again revealed something NEW to us, and important.

Actually the TRUTH--which has become the accepted and official teaching at this Church--started under most unusual conditions, This is GOD'S Church, and it, in this present era, rose up in this world whose God is (though the world is deceived into ignorance of it) Satan the Devil. It is like a sprout of GOOD wheat sprouting up among thorns, thistles, and briers.

We are not "just another Protestant church." It is true that Baptists, fundamental Methodists, and other Protestant denominations, do teach some things as we do--but they have the branches and twigs of the tree--NOT ONE OF THEM has the real TRUNK of the tree--with its MAIN BRANCHES.

In other words, not one of them knows what spiritual salvation really is, what the KINGDOM OF GOD (Christ's whole Gospel) really is, WHY God put humanity here on earth: WHAT is our real ultimate human POTENTIAL, or HOW we shall reach it. They know not God's PURPOSE, nor His MASTER PLAN for working it out. They do not know why we are here, where we are going, or THE WAY. Those are the BIG, MAIN branches of the tree of knowledge. They are the MISSING DIMENSION in knowledge.

So we are utterly UNLIKE any other church!

I personally was DUMBFOUNDED when I discovered, late in 1926, that my Protestant Sunday School teaching had been the VERY OPPOSITE of what the Bible SAYS. I have been shocked beyond measure to find that humanity, including those in Christianity, or all religions in general--and with VERY infinitesimal FEW exceptions--really do NOT BELIEVE WHAT GOD SAYS.

Adam and Eve listened as God first instructed them--revealed knowledge and truth to them in the GARDEN OF EDEN. But THEY DID NOT BELIEVE WHAT HE SAID. Instead, they believed what Satan said.

Shocking? You don't believe that statement? Open your Bible and read it for yourself! Or, are YOU willing to believe what Christ SAYS there? For He is the personal WORD OF GOD, and the Bible is His word in writing--the written WORD OF GOD. I BELIEVE what it says, for it is what CHRIST says!

Jesus came over 1,900 years ago with a vital MESSAGE from God--but after 3 1/2 years of preaching it to hundreds of thousands, only 120 still BELIEVED WHAT HE SAID (Acts 1:15}. I do BELIEVE what He says!

Let me tell you how it came about.

As the Apostle Paul was traveling the OPPOSITE WAY from GOD'S way until God struck him down and revealed Christ’s TRUTH to him, so was I putting my whole heart into business--unconcerned about God or HIS TRUTH. This is how GOD turned me around, opened my mind, poured His TRUTH into it.

He used the wife of my youth in my conversion. He opened her mind to the TRUTH of His Sabbath. This was like a bolt of lightning to me--only the bolt STRUCK ME straight through! To me it was religious fanaticism! At the same time I was challenged by a sister-in-law into an angry but diligent and thorough study and research into the theory of EVOLUTION as opposed to creation by the Creator God. Both caused me to study Genesis. Of course I studied everything I could get hold of on Darwinism and evolution--the works of Huxley, Haeckel, Lyell, Spencer, Voght, Chamberlain, etc., etc.

I began to see that my childhood Protestant teaching was the OPPOSITE of biblical teaching. My intensive study into science and the Bible PROVED the existence of God, and the ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY of the Bible as His WORD--His revealed KNOWLEDGE to man.

I remember what a shock it was to read in Romans 6:23 that THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH. When in a Protestant Sunday School I had been taught the wages--or what we got paid--for SIN was ETERNAL LIFE in an ever-burning hellfire--that I would burn and burn forever, yet never come to be burned up. I was equally shocked to read the last part of the same sentence--but the gift of God is ETERNAL LIFE through Jesus Christ our Lord. I did not know eternal life had to be received as a GIFT--I was taught that I already had eternal life--I was an IMMORTAL SOUL.

To make a long story short, the first six months of this diligent, almost night and day STUDY IN DEPTH, made me realize how WRONG I had been--in how I lived--in what I believed--in almost every way. It brought me to a state of literally GIVING UP everything I had believed--starting all over again from scratch realizing the BIBLE was GOD REVEALING TRUE BASIC KNOWLEDGE. It brought about a complete conversion by the Spring of 1927. I came to feel everything about me had been WRONG--NO GOOD--I compared myself to a worthless hunk of burned-out junk unworthy to throw on the junk pile.

I think FEW have ever had preconceived beliefs, ideas, opinions, so thoroughly ERASED from their minds--able to look at the BIBLE as God literally speaking to me [in print]--giving me KNOWLEDGE that was true!

But God was calling me to a VERY SPECIAL COMMISSION. In many ways He had prepared me in certain experiences--most UNUSUAL experiences--in early life from age 16 for my future calling.

In other words, God brought me to a WILLINGNESS to completely OPEN MY MIND to His revelation of TRUTH--even though it was often truth I did not like to receive.

I know of NO OTHER who has ever become founder of a religion, or a religious leader of ANY KIND, who ever came INTO THE TRUTH in the way God BROUGHT ME INTO IT.

Always, it seems, men start out in religious or Bible study, with SO MANY PREVIOUS FALSE BELIEFS, that what new knowledge they do learn is all MIXED UP WITH SO MUCH previously believed ERRONEOUS teachings, they never do come to receive GOD'S TRUTH pure and simple, just AS IT IS!

At a luncheon today, I was saying that the MOST IGNORANT people in the world today are the HIGHEST EDUCATED! That is true BECAUSE this world's education--especially its higher education in the great universities--is almost altogether BASED on the FALSE PREMISE of the EVOLUTIONARY THEORY. They have been "educated" by being TAUGHT things that are UNTRUE--opposite to, or antithesis of, TRUTH. Children are started out, aside from the three "R's," being TAUGHT things that are either direct lies, theories, or false propaganda. They are graded on how closely they recite or write in tests, what has been given them.

One example: A grandson of mine was once asked by his teacher (he was in grade school), "Who discovered America?" "The Indians," he answered. "You are WRONG, Larry," said the teacher. "Don't you know that COLUMBUS discovered America?" "But the Indians were already here long before Columbus came," answered my grandson. He was given a failing grade for that correct answer.

Our system of education is one of memorizing. Children and older students are expected to MEMORIZE what is taught, whether true or false. German children are taught one thing about World Wars I and II, but British and American children have altogether DIFFERENT history books from which they are taught.

I commented at lunch today that the hardest ones to educate in the millennium when the KINGDOM OF GOD rules the earth will be the college professors and the vain scholarly minds of the "highly educated." It is FAR more difficult to UNlearn error than to LEARN a truth never heard before. In the millennium we shall have to have schools of UNlearning, to clear minds of fables, before we can BEGIN to teach TRUTH!

But God brought me through a process that ERASED former mis-knowledge--and, as it were, gave me a clear start from "scratch."

I wonder if you realize that every TRUTH of GOD, accepted as true DOCTRINE and BELIEF in the WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD came from Christ through me, or was finally approved and made official through me.

Forty-three years ago, God committed to me His GREAT COMMISSION--to carry Christ's Gospel MESSAGE of the imminent Coming KINGDOM OF GOD into all the world.

Again I say that is a STAGGERING RESPONSIBILITY!

Alone, I would be utterly helpless to carry out that commission. Therefore, God used me first in raising up HIS CHURCH of this era, to stand loyally back of me, making it possible. The parent church was 19 members. That was in August, 1932. I had really been given the GREAT COMMISSION in mid-July of that year when I was 40. I was not elected, I was appointed by Jesus Christ, the HEAD of the church. HOW may that be known? BY THE FRUITS--BY THE FACTS, which cannot be contradicted!

My wife and I were then members at NO church. We were attending, fellowshipping in love, and trying to cooperate with the people then known as Church of God, Seventh Day, with headquarters at Stanberry, Missouri. Their ministers, comparatively uneducated (only one had a year of college), jealous of the fruit God was bearing through me opposed and persecuted me from the beginning, though the brethren all seemed to love my wife and me warmly. But we had never become members of their church.

Soon we learned of the distinction, in the 2nd and 3rd chapters of Revelation. God revealed to me, plainly, in 1926-27, that in these two chapters Christ was speaking of the various conditions in His Church all through this age up until His return as King of kings in His KINGDOM But the conditions mentioned in the message to the angel of the church at Ephesus predominated during that first era of the Church. They had among them some of the Laodicean lukewarmness. They also had the apostles and their immediate successors proclaiming the ANNOUNCEMENT of the KINGDOM OF GOD. But because of rapidly growing persecution, and the rise of what later became the Roman Catholic Church, their people rapidly were turning to "ANOTHER GOSPEL" (Gal. 1:6-8; II Cor. 11:3-4; Rom. 1:18, 25, etc.). But the predominating condition in that era was that they had lost their first love.

But we in this Philadelphia era have too much of that fault, also. When first TRULY converted, it is like a ROMANCE, but we too soon cool down in our LOVE for Christ and HIS WORK.

Those brethren I came among were humble, sincere, strict Sabbath keepers, but as a whole, spiritually DEAD--especially their ministers. Still there were some among them who had that first love of the TRUTH. But they did NOT proclaim Christ's Gospel of the KINGDOM OF GOD, nor even understand what it was. They were bent on preaching a "third angel's message."

God allotted 6,000 years for humanity to go its own way--following Adam's example. Men organized their own societies, governments, forms of education and commerce, not realizing they were being swayed by Satan in the process. Man is writing the lesson by EXPERIENCE--going Satan's WAY--the way that can only bring evil results.

Now that 6,000 years is almost up, the KINGDOM OF GOD is about to take over and GOVERN this earth. The time has arrived when God wants the imminency of His KINGDOM to be ANNOUNCED to all the world.

The living Christ trained and chose me to carry out that staggering and tremendous GREAT COMMISSION.

Brethren, NO MAN, of himself, could have decided to do this, and, on his own human ability and power alone, have RAISED up this WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD, have developed the facilities and machinery for BROADCASTING THAT ANNOUNCEMENT--by radio, printing press, television, personal preaching to THE WORLD. This WORK OF GOD has grown into a great, powerful WORLDWIDE and WORLD-KNOWN work.

There is but one answer. No one can believe that I alone had the ability and the power to accomplish something that never before in the history of man has been done. GOD DID IT, though He used me as a human servant. NO MAN BY HUMAN ABILITY COULD HAVE ACHIEVED IT.

Yet God always has worked through ONE MAN, surrounded by helpers.

Early in my studies--l926-27--God opened my eyes to the fact. that, while Revelation 2 and 3 covered the conditions in the WHOLE CHURCH from its beginning to Christ's coming, these two chapters also represented successive ERAS, with a certain characteristic dominating each. WE are the Philadelphia era at the specific TIME when God is having to OPEN DOORS to nations where those doors have been CLOSED to Christ's message.

Another vital NEW TRUTH God revealed to me was our identification as the lost sheep of the House of Israel (Matt. 10:6}--as distinguished from the Jews (see booklet, United States and British Commonwealth in Prophecy). Another was the FACT that ANGELS first inhabited this earth, prior to Adam. That the GOVERNMENT OF GOD was established on earth over them, and that they sinned (II Peter 2:4), rejected GOD'S GOVERNMENT, rebelled, and went their own way of DESTRUCTION AND DARKNESS, instead of God's way of CONSTRUCTION and LIGHT.

Although I learned early many of these BASIC TRUTHS, God did not commit to me His GREAT COMMISSION until I had been severely tried and tested--by opposition, persecution, hardship, giving up everything my heart had been previously set on. The commitment to me of the GREAT COMMISSION came when I was 40 years old--almost SEVEN YEARS after I was first called by being challenged into Bible study.

In those early days of getting Christ’s last MESSAGE to the people, I had to start in the VERY SMALLEST manner possible. I first spoke over radio in October, 1933. I proclaimed, for five days straight, the KINGDOM OF GOD, showing the PROMISES were made to ABRAHAM--that they were for inheritance of the EARTH, not heaven--that Christ was going to return to EARTH and rule here for a thousand years. Hundreds were SHOCKED! They looked in their Bibles, as I had asked them, to the very scriptures I gave them.

They went to their ministers. They said to them, why have YOU been preaching to me just the OPPOSITE of what the Bible says, showing the scriptures to their ministers. That brought persecution from the ministers, but people began to LISTEN.

On January 8, 1934 the program then called Radio Church of God, went on the air, never to cease to this day. Audiences GREW.

I had to take it on FAITH.

Once, when I had to leave home in two minutes for the broadcast, without the money to pay (as I had to in advance) for that morning's broadcast, a man came to the front door, saying, "Here's my tithe," and left running. It was 10 dollars. Another time I was walking to the station for a broadcast, and the money HAD NOT COME. But a man met me on the way, and handed me the money.

ALWAYS, one way or another, the money came. This was a WORK of FAITH. It was the work of GOD!

In those early days I was especially interested in the book of Ezekiel. A special reason was that I saw Ezekiel was first given GOD’S message in PROPHECY, while he was a Jewish slave, by the River Chebar in the land of Babylon. Now this was close to 120 years after the House of ISRAEL had been taken captive to ASSYRIA.

My astonishment was aroused when I saw that his message was to be taken to the HOUSE OF ISRAEL. Now Ezekiel was a slave among the HOUSE OF JUDAH--not Israel. By this time many of the "lost sheep of the house of Israel" had migrated north and west from Assyria. They were, by Ezekiel's time, in Britain and western Europe.

The book of Ezekiel starts off in the first chapter with a rather weird description of his vision of the GLORY OF GOD.

The first message, or instruction from God, comes, beginning the second chapter. "And He said unto me, son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation... [and they shall know] that there hath been a prophet among them" (Ezek. 2:3,5-- Rev. 3:9).

Now notice chapter three. In verses 8-l0 of the second chapter he had been given the message in a book--a roll, written on both sides--about which I will refer later. In chapter 3:1 God says, Eat THIS ROLL! and GO speak unto the House of Israel." Again in verse 4, "Son of man, GO, get thee unto the House of Israel, and speak with my words unto them."

NOWHERE in the Bible are JEWS called "the House of Israel."

This term applies ONLY to the TEN-tribed Kingdom of Israel taken into Assyrian captivity more than a hundred years before Ezekiel and the Jews of the House of JUDAH were taken to Babylon.

Nowhere in the book does Ezekiel record his journey from where he was in Babylon to those of the House of Israel who were then in Britain and Western Europe. Nowhere does he record his giving of the message to them. He merely RECEIVED the message. He merely RECORDED IT IN WRITING.

There is no reason to think this message was ever delivered to the House of Israel in Ezekiel's time. The message in fact is for today--and contained a WARNING of things to happen to Britain, America and the Western European nations NOW in OUR DAY.

I saw clearly, back in those early days--and especially during World Wars I and II, that Ezekiel's prophecy was a message to be taken by some MODERN TWENTIETH CENTURY servant of God--a "modern Ezekiel" to America, Britain, Canada, Australia! New Zealand and South Africa. I dwelt in hundreds of broadcasts on this book of Ezekiel and its WARNING of things IMMINENTLY NOW to HAPPEN TO Britain, the United States and western Europe.

Of course I always did, from the very beginning of this WORK OF GOD, proclaim the good news of the COMING KINGDOM OF GOD.

The original apostles proclaimed the KINGDOM OF GOD, but they also put very special emphasis on something that specially applied only to their time, right then. They were personal EYE WITNESSES to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In THEIR day, the chief opposition and persecution came from those Jewish leaders who rejected Christ as the promised Messiah.

DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND. The Jews as a whole did not reject Christ. Indeed, virtually all his followers--the 120 that were WITH HIM and the apostles (Acts 1:15 from which the church started--all were Jews (or proselytes). The church BEGAN as almost 100% JEWISH. The Apostle Paul always went first to the Jews, and most of his churches started out as Jewish. The persecution was not so much from the rank and file of Jewish people, as from their Jewish RULERS, who held political jobs under the Roman government--the Pharisees--and also the scribes and Sadducees.

Nevertheless, the EARLIEST opposition and persecution the apostles faced at the BEGINNING of the church was from these officials who REJECTED Christ as the promised Messiah. The apostles were EYE WITNESSES to His life, death and RESURRECTION. They spent 40 days with Him AFTER His resurrection.

In OUR TIME, God showed me in the New Testament where He sent His disciples FIRST to the same "lost sheep of the House of Israel" (Matt. 15-24). And so it was that Christ, the Head of this Work, caused me during the first 20 or 25 years of this Work, to put SPECIAL emphasis on Ezekiel's warning to OUR PEOPLE, IN OUR DAY (Again, read the above mentioned booklet.)

But in the MEANTIME I was making every effort, as well as Garner Ted after he came on the broadcast--1955 and after--as my chief assistant in God's Work, to get the GOOD NEWS of the coming KINGDOM OF GOD into other countries AROUND THE WORLD--but with VERY LITTLE SUCCESS.

In those Gentile countries, the government CONTROLS ALL MEANS OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATION OR EDUCATION. They and their forms of government seek to control the MINDS of their people.

For years I tried to reach countries like India, China, Russia, Argentina, Brazil, etc., and even Britain, France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, etc. from radio stations OUTSIDE their countries but close to their borders. But most of these were "fly-by-night" second-rate shortwave stations, who really gave us virtually no audience to speak of in the countries we wanted to reach. The DOORS to these nations WERE CLOSED TO CHRIST'S MESSAGE.

But Christ said to His Philadelphia era church, that because we have but little strength, He would OPEN THOSE DOORS TO US (Rev. 3:8).

Now I want to take you back to Ezekiel and show you something I think VERY EXCITING and MOST IMPORTANT!

God said to Ezekiel, "But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee...open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee. And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe" (Ezek. 2.8-10).

Continue: "Moreover he said unto me, son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and GO speak unto the house of Israel! (Ezek. 3:1).

Now let us turn to the book of Revelation.

Chapter one gives the opening salutation and the introduction, giving the real SUBJECT of which the book is concerned. It is in verse 10: "I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet."

In the opening salutation we find that it is NOT the revelation of John at all, but the revelation of Jesus Christ. He is the Revelator--who does the REVEALING of what otherwise is non-understandable. The Apostle John was merely the WRITER, who recorded (1) the WORD OF GOD, (2) the testimony--direct words of--Jesus Christ, and (3) all the things that he SAW in VISION. In this vision, he was taken from the Isle of Patmos, where he actually was as he wrote, into THE DAY OF THE LORD--a special period of TIME here called the "LORD'S DAY."

The DAY OF THE LORD is the time when GOD supernaturally shall INTERVENE in this world’s affairs, the beginning of His TAKING OVER all its governments, societies, production, commerce. We have had 6,000 years of the DAY of MAN. Now we shall soon have 1,000 years of the DAY OF GOD.

Chapters 2 and 3 are messages direct from Jesus, in heaven, sent to the angels (which, some believe means to the chief human leaders of the SEVEN CHURCHES). chapter 4 describes a vision of God's Throne in heaven. Chapter 5 shows God on His Throne, with a BOOK in His right hand--again, a SCROLL, written on both sides, and rolled up and SEALED with SEVEN SEALS. No one in heaven or earth was able to open the seals, and REVEAL what was therein written. Then appeared one as a slain, resurrected Lamb, standing in front of the throne, and HE alone was worthy to open the seals and REVEAL the meaning of the book. He stepped forward and took the book from the right hand of God.

The sixth chapter shows the opening of the first SIX of the seals. The seven seals cover the ENTIRE BOOK. The sixth seal, in time sequence, brings us down to the DAY OF THE LORD, with terrifying SIGNS in the sun, moon and stars.

The seventh chapter begins with four angels poised to let go the blowing at the first four TRUMPETS of the seven TRUMPET PLAGUES, which are, and constitute (that is, all seven trumpet plagues) the seventh SEAL.

Then another angel appears crying out to the four angels to HOLD up the blowing of these trumpet plagues UNTIL the servants of God are sealed.

So here is one example of where God deliberately held up world conditions, and His own intervention UNTIL something important to HIM was accomplished. In this case it was the sealing of the 144,000. And also the other great numberless MULTITUDE of all nations. They have all come through (this numberless multitude) the GREAT TRIBULATION, which was symbolized by the fifth seal.

The seventh seal is not opened until the beginning of the 8th chapter. The first trumpet plague blew upon the EARTH, the second on the seas, the third plague was upon the rivers and lakes, and the fourth upon the sun, moon and stars.

This left three more plaques, called WOES. The seventh trumpet--the last--will be the seven LAST PLAGUES, at the very TIME of Christ’s coming to earth to RULE all nations.

The 9th chapter carries the events into the first and second WOES (or the fifth and sixth trumpet plagues).

But we now come to an INSET chapter, as I have called certain ones, such as the 13th and 17th chapters--in a sense, "flashback" chapters, to bring up-to-date earlier events. The seventh trumpet or THIRD WOE is not opened until chapter 11, verse 15.

Now notice this tenth chapter--an inset chapter, not necessarily at all occurring at the TIME sequence of the end of the ninth chapter. The actual recording of EVENTS, TIME-WISE, is not continued until chapter 11, verse 15.

This chapter 10 has been virtually OVERLOOKED. I did not comment on it in the earlier days, or expound it when I wrote the OUTLINE of the book of Revelation, or the full booklet on the revelation. There was NO WAY it could have been understood then--until after subsequent events--just as we could not have understood how Satan sways the entire WORLD, as explained in Eph. 2.1-2, until we had radio and television.

A MIGHTY ANGEL comes down from heaven, his face as the SUN, his feet as pillars of fire. His voice was as the roar of a lion. He set his right foot upon the sea, and his left upon the earth.

He had a LITTLE BOOK open.

This mighty angel in the second half of this inset prophecy, beginning verse 6, swears by the Eternal GOD there shall be "time no longer" (A.V.--marginal translation—"no more delay". But the angel continues, "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, (7th trumpet--which shall be the 7 last plagues--and which also is the PRECISE TIME of Christ’s coming as KING over the earth)--when He shall begin to sound the mystery of God should be finished..." (verse 6-7).

I italicized "when He shall" referring to the sounding of the last and FINAL trumpet, to show that the time setting of this brief two-part inset prophecy is NOT AT OR IMMEDIATELY AFTER the 6th trumpet of chapter 9) --but SOME TIME PRIOR TO IT! Therefore, in time setting, this is a flashback. Now continue:

The Apostle John in his vision is told to take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel, and eat it up.

HOW LIKE EZEKIEL'S PROPHECY!

It was sweet as honey in his mouth but BITTER in his stomach.

The message of that little book seems to be what the angel next said, "Thou must prophesy [proclaim--preach—foretell] again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues and KINGS!"

Now WHEN?

The message of the little book written on both sides of a scroll, to be eaten and swallowed, takes us directly back to Ezekiel's prophecy. Ezekiel himself, as I have shown. NEVER WENT TO ISRAEL, NEVER DELIVERED THAT MESSAGE. It was not a prophecy for the Israel of his day--but for OUR DAY, NOW. Ezekiel's prophecy was NOT a message to MANY NATIONS, speaking different languages, and to their KINGS. It was to the REBELLIOUS PEOPLE of the House of Israel and it was emphasized to Ezekiel they were NOT of strange speech--NOT foreign Gentile nations.

This WORK OF GOD did carry that message to those same people in OUR DAY, prior to January, 1972.

I felt I had reason to believe it was POSSIBLE that OUR WORK would be FINISHED by January, 1972, I wrote and printed that many times. But I also said I WAS NOT SETTING DATES--it was not CERTAIN!

It was a possibility.

But being HUMAN, many of those supporting me in this Work did take it as a definite date. Up until then they sacrificed to send in tithes and offerings for God's WORK, when the Work did NOT end in January, 1972, some FOOLISHLY said, "Now I'm through going without things I like to have--my Lord delayeth His coming!" Read what God says of those who say and do that (Matt. 24:48-51).

Now WHEN is the TIME of this prophecy in Revelation?

Read right on. Chapter 11 is merely a chapter division written by MEN. But John's book of Revelation continues right on. The apostle, in his vision, is told now by this same angel to rise and MEASURE THE TEMPLE. But LEAVE OUT the court which is for the Gentiles, for they shall tread down the Holy City for 3 1/2 years.

So the TIME of our prophecy is at least 3 1/2 YEARS before Christ's coming--before THE GREAT TRIBULATION before the beginning of the DAY OF THE LORD and before the seventh angel blows the last trumpet!

Then it continues on into the message of the TWO WITNESSES--also referred to and perhaps identified in Haggai and Zechariah. And THEY SHALL PREACH A LAST WARNING TO THE WHOLE WORLD FOR 3 1/2 YEARS!

And it is not until after ALL THIS, that the time element picks back up with the sounding of the 7th trumpet in chapter 11:15.

Therefore, MY CONCLUSION?

Could it be possible, after proclaiming the Gospel of THE KINGDOM OF GOD, as well as Ezekiel's warning to the people of Israel, that, beginning January, 1972, when my PRESENT CAMPAIGN of walking through the doors God said He would open (Rev. 3:8) to KINGS, and many NATIONS of DIFFERENT LANGUAGES commenced, that it is the FULFILLMENT OF THIS PROPHECY OF REVELATION 10?

To me it comes as a STARTLING, AMAZING EYE-OPENING NEW LIGHT DIRECT FROM GOD!

THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PHASE OF GOD'S WORK TODAY!

And THE JOB IS GETTING DONE!

It is now after midnight, but I had to finish this letter yet tonight so our Johannesburg office can get it telexed to Pasadena to be copied and mailed to you right away. I have to be up at 6 a.m.; luggage call at 7:30; take off from the airport in our plane at 9:3O, to fly to Swaziland where I meet the king, and have dinner with him tomorrow night. Next day on to the NEW all-black state of Transkei, to meet the new Prime Minister. I know him already.

He flew into Johannesburg last June to see me. He will have a big crowd in the afternoon to hear my message. Then on to Port Elizabeth for another big public meeting, then to Cape Town, where a CAMPAIGN is planned.

Yes, whether I get to sleep or not, THE JOB IS GETTING DONE! THANKS FOR STANDING back of me 100%. This Sabbath I will speak to our brethren in the church at Cape Town.

Next week, MORE OF THE SAME.

Please remember us in your prayers and continue actively to support God's Work. We need you!

Goodbye for now, my beloved children in Christ. God bless you all.

In Jesus' name,

Herbert W. Armstrong

DC

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