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One of the most dramatic accounts of the state violation of religious freedom published in recen! years is
Stanley R. Rader's
Against the Gates of Hell.
The book details the California attorneygeneral's attack on
the Worldwide, Church of God. One of the issues is the Church 's freedom to support Herbert W.
Armstrong's glpbal evangelistic efforts to bring the good news of God's soon-coming Kingdom to al/
nations. This condensation provides an insider's account of that global effort.
SPIRITUAL ODYSSEY
The Message Heard Round
the World
" A NO
this gospel of the kingdom shall
1"\
be preached in all the world for a
witness unto all nations; and then shall
!he end come" (Matthew 24: 14).
So Jesus, seated upon the Mount of
Olives, said to His disciples almosl
2,000 years ago, as they approached
Him privalely and asked for signs of His
coming. He warned them dread evenls
lay ahead-that nations would rise
against each other and lamines, pesti–
lence and earthquakes would ravage
December 1980
lhe earth. False prophets would deceive
multitudes, and because wickedness
and sin would flourish in !he world, there
would be many who would cease to
love and lo believe.
"Bul he lhal shall endure unto the
end, lhe same shall be saved," Jesus
said, as He commanded lhe disciples to
go forth inlo lhe world lo preach lhe
Gospel announcing !he coming King–
dom of God.
And that, in all its beautiful simplicity,
is the heart of the Church's Work.
1t
is
written into lhe corporale charler,
underslood by all members and faithful–
ly followed by its leaders. Everyone in
lhe Church knows deep in his or her
soul lhal preaching lhe Gospel is lhe
primary reason for our exislence.
We come lo all nalions and all people
with an announcement, awesome and
lranscendent , yet at lhe same time,
pure and uncomplicaled:
Christ is coming to rule in a Kingdom
of God, and His realm will nol be sorne
vague inlerplanelary place bul on lhe
same earth upon which He walked and
laughl 2,000 years ago. As surely as
lhe day dawns and the night follows, we
inform lhem, there will be upon lhis
globe a governmenl of God ruled under
lhe laws of God, and lhose laws will be
basad upon lhe laws of God- the love
of God and lhe love of man. His rule will
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