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HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG
P.O. BOX 431, TUCSON, ARIZONA 85702
Pasadena, Calif.
August 24, 1982
Dear Brethren and Co-Workers with Christ:
Violence all over the world grows apace and has continued since last I
wrote you some five weeks ago. Yet much has happened in God's Work. New TV
and radio stations have been added. The past week or 10 days has seen a slight
upturn in the economy. Inflation has slowed slightly. The past week has seen a
dramatic upturn in the stock market--interest rates have dropped slightly.
Though unemployment holds the highest since the Great Depression, we
find it has not hit God's people--our members and co-workers--as hard as the
population as a whole. God does protect his own--those who obey and trust him.
Most important of all, God has continued to REVEAL NEW TRUTH to his
Church. And that is exciting--exceedingly exciting. News has broken recently of
how the Allies in World War II had cracked the "unbreakable" secret German
code and learned of all German military planning and strategy, leading in large
measure to winning the war. God has a SECRET CODE that is the
ULTIMATE--absolutely unbreakable! By it God transmitted SUPREMELY valuable
information and knowledge to HIS CHURCH of this year 1982. The greatest
scientists and technicians in the world have been unable to crack the code or
read
the message written 1,900 and more years ago for us in these latter days of this
world and its civilization.
Jesus said in prayer, "I thank thee, O Father...because thou hast hid
these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes"
(Matt.
11:25)--babes in Christ. THE HOLY BIBLE IS GOD'S SECRET CODE! Without
his Holy Spirit it CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD. Only the Holy Spirit gives
spiritual COMPREHENSION.
What about the prophet Elijah? The original Scriptures, prior to Christ's
first coming, close with these words: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the
prophet
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn
the
heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their
fathers,
lest I come [second coming] and smite the earth with a curse [total
destruction]"
(Mal. 4:5-6).
Was John the Baptist the Elijah that was to come? When asked that
question
he said, "No." Jesus explained that John had come "in the power and spirit of
Elijah"--a different man, but carrying out the mission preparing for Jesus'
first
coming. This is also explained in Malachi 3:1-5, speaking of him as a human
messenger preparing the way for Christ's coming as the "messenger of the
covenant"--the NEW covenant. But this (verses 2-5) is speaking of preparing the
way before Christ's SECOND coming!