Pastor's Comments May, 11, 2012

“Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You. The voice of one crying in the wilderness” ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.’”

Dear Brethren,

As we well know this is the year of another presidential election in America. And it is mind-boggling to realize how dramatic the changes in leadership and society have worsened since the election of President Ronald Reagan!

The country was spiraling dangerously downward even at that time, economically, socially immoral and spiritually tolerant to the pervasive evils.

But since Jesus Christ has a Time Table for all His prophecies to be fulfilled, God chose to stall the downfall of America for a few years before America would reach the bottom, and then be punished by Him.

Knowing the kind of man that he was, Jesus Christ chose Ronald Reagan to fill the presidency in January 1981 just as He had done with President George Washington and President Abraham Lincoln – three critical times in this nation’s history.

God Determines Leadership of Nations

Few realize it is God in heaven who always determines who the leadership will be to govern the Gentile nations of this world, including the nations of Israel. This can be seen in Scripture.

To the mighty King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, supreme ruler of the world at that time, the Angel of God told him:

“. . . The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever he chooses . . .” (Daniel 4:25, 32, 34-35).

And depending on the extent of the moral decline of any nation, God also sets over it the kind of man that befits the populace, as Scripture also makes known:

“. . . in order that the living may know that the Most High RULES in the Kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets OVER IT THE LOWEST OF MEN (Daniel 4:17; Psalm 33:10-15).

It can be seen from President Reagan’s tenure in office, along with his writings, that he was a very moral man with the strength of mind and desire to try and guide the nation to higher standards in conduct and life. In short, he was used by Jesus Christ for that purpose.

President Reagan was about to have lunch with Congressional leaders in Statuary Hall in the Capitol after the inauguration ceremony when he received word about the plane carrying the hostages had left Iranian airspace.^[3] During the luncheon, he broke the news saying: "With thanks to Almighty God, I have been given a tag line, the get-off line, that everyone wants for the end of a toast or a speech, or anything else. Some 30 minutes ago, the planes bearing our prisoners left Iranian air space, and they're now free of Iran."^[3]. . .” (my emphasis in bold letters)

Note: President Reagan saying before all of those men and women in high offices: “With thanks to Almighty God . . .” giving Christ thanks for what He had done for him. Can we imagine that being said today!

Realizing this new president was more conservative and combative than the previous one, Iran, the enemy, feared sufficiently enough to free the prisoners who had been held captive for well over a year.

Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, also, realizing the kind of man President Reagan was, wrote a letter to him with the desire to try and encourage him to seek the guidance and help from God during his tenure in that great office.

I think it well that I make this letter available to you in this pastoral writing.

A Voice Cries Out: An Open Letter to President Reagan

A Heartfelt Message of Encouragement

By Herbert W. Armstrong

MR. PRESIDENT: You've assumed the most important office in the world on a landslide vote - a virtual mandate.

I know something of the stupendous problems with which you now must grapple. I have discussed world and national difficulties with heads of state on all continents. I know something of how difficult, knotty and often impossible of human solution are the conditions you now face - greater than those confronting any other head of state.

In late December the question blared forth in the media whether, on inauguration, you should declare an economic emergency. But, as you know, we are now deep in much more than an economic emergency. We're in a social emergency, a moral and spiritual emergency, foreign and international emergencies and the frightening LIFE-AND-DEATH emergency of human extinction. Never before since mankind inhabited the earth have weapons of mass destruction existed that can erase humanity from this planet. You have taken over the helm at a time when problems and troubles exceed in difficulty and complexity those faced by any President before you.

If ever a President needed the help of this great people he leads, it is now. Some are asking, can you turn the United States around? They look to problems of inflation, unemployment, energy, taxes, budget, business, defense. But those are materialistic problems. In the materialistic area we have fared better than we realize. This nation has led the world in materialistic advancement. In fields of science and technology, business and industry, knowledge production (our educational system has become almost wholly materialistic), our progress has been awesome. We have sent men to the moon and safely returned them. We've sent unmanned spacecraft to send back mind-boggling close-up photographs of Jupiter, Saturn and the Martian surface. We've produced computers and the most marvelous instruments.

But we can't seem to solve troubles between husbands and wives, parents and children, groups and factions, nation and nation. Our nation is in trouble. The whole world is in trouble! And those troubles and evils, however we may characterize them, are spiritual in nature. In every case, it seems, the individual, the group, the faction, the nation, is seeking only self-interest. It's all in the way we live!

I've said repeatedly in these page messages there is an unseen spiritual LAW in relentless motion - the law I simplify by the term "GIVE." It's as inexorable as the law of gravity. Break it, and it breaks you! This nation has been breaking that law, and our beloved country is being broken by it! That law is A WAY OF LIFE - that of cooperating, helping, serving, sharing - of out flowing LOVE! But our people, and the whole world, are living the diametric opposite way transgressing that invisible spiritual law - the way I term "GET." We've been actuated by self-centeredness, vanity, covetousness, envy, competition, hostility, violence, war.

The other day I had a personal meeting with Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki of Japan, in Tokyo. He recently called on the Japanese people to continue working hard, and to remain united to protect the peace and the democracy of Japan. Loyalty to country and faithful hard work on the job are spiritual values that are paying off in Japan.

It is vital that our beloved country remain loyal AND UNITED! Not divided in the home, in the factory, in the office. It took a war for Franklin D. Roosevelt to unite us in one common accord. We need desperately now to be united in PEACE - in what we can do for our country, not what it can do for us!

You, Mr. President, cannot of yourself solve this nation's problems and rid it of its evils. That can be done only if WE, THE PEOPLE, STAND BEHIND YOU not only, but CHANGE OUR WAY OF LIFE FROM "GET" to "GIVE."

During the campaign you mentioned that we are a nation founded under God. God is LOVE manifested! He set in relentless motion the spiritual LAW that will CAUSE peace, happiness, abundant well-being for all - if we, the people, will turn to it! THAT'S HOW THIS COUNTRY NEEDS TO BE TURNED AROUND. Lead us in that way, Mr. Reagan, and God help us to follow you in it. I, with countless others, shall be praying for you in that.”

This was a letter from the heart to President Reagan from God’s late apostle, encouraging him to seek God’s help in turning America around from disaster.

As far as I know Mr. Armstrong never got to have a face to face meeting with President Reagan, though he was invited to the White House and met with President’s Reagan’s wife, Mrs. Nancy Reagan

President Reagan knew of Mr. Armstrong and sent a condolence telegram at the time of Mr. Armstrong’s death. Very possibly he had even read the letter from Mr. Armstrong written to him.

God chose Mr. Ronald Reagan to occupy that high office upon seeing the kind of man he was during that time. And it had an immediate impact on Iran. This makes it is easy to see that God showed His blessings and approval for President Reagan by acting on the minds of the leaders in Iran to release those captives; this was before the new president even had the opportunity to act himself for their release.

President Reagan served well during his eight years in that high office. Though he was not able to fully turn this country around from the deadly cancer eating away at its vital, he was used by God to halt its progression during his years in office.

We can well see the difference that has taken place during the years since his tenure in office. The blessings were not there any longer with any of the presidents that followed him. He was the last of the great presidents.

Now Iran is one of our greatest enemies with no fear of this nation or any other nation. In actual fact this nation is utterly hated by all nations. They only put up with us because of what they can get from us, mainly the money we give them.

And internally, there is continued plundering and violence, strife, and contention, the law is powerless, and justice never goes forth, for the wicked surround the righteous; therefore perverse judgment proceeds (Habakkuk 1:3-4).

It is apparent that with the many unsolvable problems on every front, and the leadership and populace virtually sticking the finger to their nose at God (Ezekiel 8:17-18), there is no real hope left for its survival as a nation.

While realizing the present state of this nation, and worsening, it does not really matter who might be the next president; it is now too late for its survival.

The evil is now overwhelming whatever good there might be left in this nation. As an example: The latest Gallop Poll reveals that 52% of the populace approves same-sex marriage, including the president and his vice-president.

With this in mind, it would appear we have reached the point in time where God tells us to no longer pray for this nation, just as He said to Jeremiah, when the leadership and people of Judah would no longer obey Him.

“Therefore do NOT pray for this people, nor life up a cry or prayer for them to make intercession to Me; for I will NOT hear you.”(Jeremiah 7:16; 11:14; 14:11).

This is a very sad time for all of us for we know from prophecy how Jesus Christ is going to severely punish this beloved nation, and other nations of Israel for their sins are just as great as those of America.

Many prophecies make known: who God will use to punish His people, how, and even the number of the people who will be killed; and those will survive and live over into the new world to live under the supreme ruler-ship of Jesus Christ who will bring to an end this evil world (Galatain1:4).

As God removed Lot from Sodom and Gomorrah before He brought total destruction on those cities, so will God do the same with His chosen and faithful Elect Church.

In view of these forthcoming calamities, Jesus Christ admonishes all of us as His people to always be vigilant and praying meaningful prayers to Him:

“WATCH therefore, and PRAY ALWAYS that you may be counted WORTHY to ESCAPE all these things that will come to pass, and to STAND before the Son of Man (at His coming back to this earth, Luke 21:36).

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