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WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD
WORLD HEADQUARTERS
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91123
HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG
President and Pastor
January 20, 1977
Dear Brethren and Co-Workers with Christ,
Today another President of the United States went out of office
and a new one was sworn in. A month ago I wrote you of the many
heads of governments I had known and talked with privately, who
have died, gone out of office, been killed, or forced out.
Of course, in the United States we have a new President
inaugurated every four or eight years anyway. But in most of these
other countries that I mentioned, the presidents, kings, prime
ministers, and one emperor had been forced out by overturn of
the government--usually violent--or by death.
But really--the real TRUTH is--all this is not a BAD sign of
BAD things to come, but a GOOD sign of GOOD things to come!
Let me explain. Let me make it PLAIN--for it really is the
PLAIN TRUTH. Sure, things are getting WORSE and WORSE in the
world. We are actually in the first preliminary beginnings of the
most terrible times the world has ever seen--the GREAT TRIBULATION--
the TERRIBLE WORLD CRISIS at the CLOSE of THIS AGE.
And that means the coming of the happy, joyful WORLD TOMORROW--
the time of WORLD PEACE--of prosperity, abundance for all, happiness
and joy of exciting, yet PEACEFUL times--and ETERNAL LIFE at last
made available for EVERYBODY! We are the living generation when
this will come.
So actually, our mission is to spread the GOOD NEWS of the very
SOON-coming WORLD TOMORROW and of WORLD PEACE.
Every day brings us one day closer to WORLD HAPPINESS AND
REJOICING! Ever think HOW WONDERFUL it is that we happen to be
living in the time when that WONDERFUL NEW AGE will come--in our
very generation?
Let me right here make a solemn CONFESSION! In July, 1933 the
Almighty God--through Jesus Christ--conferred upon me, personally,
HIS GREAT COMMISSION--to take to all the world as a witness for all
nations, the GOOD NEWS (Gospel) of Jesus Christ, ANNOUNCING the
IMMINENT coming of the KINGDOM OF GOD.
Jesus came and ANNOUNCED this Good News (the word Gospel means
GOOD NEWS) of the KINGDOM OF GOD--to bring the world PEACE and
SALVATION and ETERNAL LIFE in happiness and JOY. That was over 1,900
years ago. Many believed on Him as the promised Messiah, but THEY
DID NOT BELIEVE HIS MESSAGE OF GOOD NEWS. After 3 1/2 years, only
120 had believed WHAT HE SAID (Acts 1:15). In 40 years, JESUS'