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They were for Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday night --
in that respect the same as the Garner Ted Armstrong Personal
Appearance campaigns in the United States and Canada. But in
Manila, the meetings started each night at 7 o'clock.
We should have arrived very late, had it not been for the
police siren pilot car, for traffic was extremely heavy. We were
a little tense on arriving, wondering whether there would be a
big crowd.
"What if only about two or three thousand come?" I
wondered. They would look like a tiny handful of people in that
huge 24,000-seat Coliseum. They would look as if they were lost!
We entered at the rear, behind the stage. Mr. Gotoh had arrived
early, as had also our own television and photography crew from
Pasadena.
"Big crowd," grinned Mr. Gotoh and others. "And still
pouring in." Just then a security escort was coming in, flanking
on each side, the mother of the President. She was smiling
happily as she shook hands with us. Six chairs had been set just
behind the podium on the stage. Mrs. Marcos, the President of
the University of the East, the Vice President of the Angeles
University, Mr. Gotoh and Mr. Rader and myself were seated on
these six chairs. The Coliseum seemed well filled -- a few
scattered empty seats here and there -- what a relief to see
such a great crowd present!
Mr. Gotoh (Chairman of Ambassador College Department of
Asian Studies) opened the meeting, after everyone sang the
Philippine national anthem, with introductory remarks. Mrs.
Marcos was introduced, as I rose to shake hands with her, amid
much applause. Then a most complimentary short speech by the Vice
President of Angeles University, followed by a very vigorous speech
by Dr. de la Cruz, mentioning enthusiastically his visit to the
Ambassador College campus. It was 7:30 p.m. when I stepped up to
the podium. I spoke one hour. Following is a brief summary of
my first sermon of the campaign:
First, I asked the audience how much they knew about the
conditions in the world they live in. Then I outlined the evil
conditions I see in all parts of the world, asking WHY such evils
exist in a world where men have learned how to fly to the moon and
back, but NOT how to solve their own problems on earth. This
world, I said, is headed toward the supreme CRISIS at the END of
this age -- this present evil world. Human survival is now our
number one problem. For thousands of years, heads of governments
have striven for world PEACE -- but, NO peace! There will have
to be a CAUSE to bring about world peace. I mentioned my early
surveys, learning of this world's unhappy conditions. Finally,
beginning 1926, I received the shock of my life, discovering the
true answers IN THE BIBLE -- answers never revealed by science,
nor taught by religion or education. Then I went into some detail
in the incident of the forbidden fruit in the second and third
chapters of Genesis. I explained God's WAY OF LIFE revealed to
but rejected in that incident by Adam and Eve -- and how humanity
has REJECTED or overlooked the revealed knowledge of GOD'S WAY OF