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WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91123
HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG
PRESIDENT and PASTOR
January 14, 1985
Dear Brethren and Co-Workers with Christ:
What may this year of 1985 hold in store for us?
Already the Work of God is off to a flying start. The first
TV program of the new year broke all records in immediate responses
by telephone, with 15,836 calls requesting literature. The second
telecast was preempted on 28 TV stations, yet in spite of being off
the air on those stations another record response broke even the
preceding week's record with 15,852 telephone requests. If this
presages the trend for the year, we should have a record-breaking
year.
A recent incident occurred which could presage critical
world-shaping events for this year 1985. Late one night less than
two weeks ago, three Jewish rabbis from Jerusalem called on me.
They professed to be on a mission of grave importance that could
trigger crucial events leading quickly to the coming of Christ and
the end of this world.
One of these rabbis is a member of the Israeli Knesset,
Israel's national Congress. They explained the divided condition
politically in the Knesset, and although the ultraorthodox Jews
which these men represent are in the minority, they do hold the
balance of power. One of them, who seemed to be their leader,
hopes to maneuver things to make himself Prime Minister. He claims
to be a physicist of distinction and showed photographs of himself
with President Ronald Reagan, Konstantin Chernenko of the Soviet
Union, and Deng Xiaoping, leader of China. He explained plans to
build the third Temple at Jerusalem. He said his group of
ultraorthodox Jews had been studying the New Testament. He said
(and I have since verified the truth of this) that these Jews
expected a pre-Messiah to come almost immediately prior to the
coming of the Messiah or Christ, and that he himself is that
pre-Messiah or "ante-Christ" as he termed it. He insisted it is
necessary that I help him politically become the Israeli Prime
Minister. They seemed to know all about me personally.
I kept trying to pry out of him how and where they proposed
to build the temple prior to Christ's Second Coming. I think it
best not now to divulge his astonishing answer.
At 2 a.m. they left. I gave them my very definite answer.
I cannot in any manner join him in politics. The rabbis left
rather downhearted. I have checked and this man is in fact who he
claims to be. My real appraisal I will not now state.
But I have heard from other sources that some rather
eccentric Jews are planning to build a temple in Jerusalem. This
could certainly provoke a serious crisis in the Middle East. It