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PERSONAL
FROM THEPUBLISHER
He
Remembered
You
ITH
tbis issue we
complete our serialized publication of
Mystery of the Ages
by Herbert W.
Armstrong. Altbougb in declining bealtb,
and for all practica! purposes blind, Mr.
Armstrong persevered during tbe last year
of bis life to complete tbis, bis last book.
One of bis last public appearances was to
present it to tbe students of Ambassador
College.
But he also wanted to make it available to a
much wider audience. He decided
Mystery of
the Ages
should be published by installments
in
The Plain Truth - a
parting gift to the
millions he had served through radio, television
and the printed word during bis long life.
Mr. Armstrong was not personally wealthy, but
he left a wonderful legacy: two colleges, the
Ambassador Foundation, the
World Tomorrow
program,
The Plain Truth
and the other
publications that he founded over the years, and a
worldwide organization that supports them. These
are the tangible fruits of a life devoted to God and
his Work.
What Herbert W. Armstrong valued most, and
what he labored hardest to build, was his
understanding.
In 1926, when his personal religious
beliefs were challenged, he embarked on a quest
for understanding. All his life, he had wanted more
November/ December 1986
than just knowledge- he wanted to know
WHY.
He
turned his energy and his formidable ability to
concentrate on searching out the answers to sorne
of life's most important questions: Does God really
exist? And if he does, what does he expect of us?
What was his purpose in creating man? Or is there
indeed any purpose?
Mr. Armstrong was not prepared to accept fuzzy
and often muddled concepts that masquerade as
answers to these questions. He wanted the
truth.
lt
carne slowly at first. But he had recognized a
vital principie: "A good understanding have all they
that do bis [God' s] commandments" (Ps. 111:10).
As he pored over the Word of God, he put what
he learned into practice. He also realized that
education carries with it responsibility, and as God
gave him direction he began to share his
understanding with others. He was at that time, in
early 1934, already midway in his 42nd year.
It was the smallest of beginnings- a weekly half
hour on one small radio station and a
hand-duplicated magazine. But Mr. Armstrong
taught with the flair that had brought him success
in the advertising profession in the early '20s. God
blessed bis efforts and
The Plain Truth
and the
World Tomorrow
program grew in impact until
now they reach- and teach-millions around the
world.
Herbert W. Armstrong often likened
understanding the Bible to putting together a
jigsaw puzzle. At first there is a jumble of
unrelated pieces. But as you fit them together a
clear picture begins to emerge. Over the years,
God gave him more pieces of the puzzle, and he
never stopped Iearning. Shortly before he died, he
said he had understood more in the last 1
O
years
of bis long life than in al! the previous decades.
Mystery of the Ages
is tbe product of that
understanding. Mr. Armstrong did not
underestimate the importance of tbis last work, for
it
contained vital keys to understanding tbe plan of
God as revealed in the Bible.
Mystery of the Ages
in a very real sense was a last will and testament ,
to be passed on to those who would value it. As
we come to the last installment of tbis remarkable
book, we gratefully acknowledge our indebtedness
to Herbert W. Armstrong,
(Continued on page 4)