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Maestro Giulini could scarcely believe it,· he called it a miracle,
and in a very real sense it was. Because Mr. Armstrong's faith was perfect,
the building was completed and it was right.
Everything carne together with faultless precision, as he had known al/ along.
GATES
OF
HELL
Continued
tially explosive international crisis. In the
absence of relations between the two
countries. Carter was unable to discuss
this matter with a diplomatic representa–
tive. Yet the Worldwide Church of God,
through
its
representative, was at that
moment in close contact with a highly
placed Cuban official!
Need
1
spell out any more clearly the
influence, actual and potential, of this
God-loving people in helping to bring a
measure ot sanity to a world rushing
headlong into the twi light?
There was sti ll another demonstration
during that period of how the Church
succeeded in bringing envoys of deeply
divided. indeed hostile. nations into one
room, where they could talk lo one
another in a pleasant, friendly atmo–
sphere and, hopefully, establish a rap–
port. In between our China trips, we
hosted a dinner party in Tokyo to which
we invited sorne 200 persons. At the
head table sal the ambassadors of
Israel, Tunisia, Lebanon and China. Nei–
ther Tunisia nor Lebanon have diplo–
matic relations with Israel, and Israel has
no relations wilh China. Nevertheless,
they were all introduced to one another
and registered no objection when we
asked if they could be photographed
together.
By the end of 1979, wilh Mr. Arm–
strong's health signifi cantly improved,
the long-postponed visit lo China be–
carne feasible. Again
1
worked out a
rigorous and wide-ranging schedule of
activities, and on Oecember 2 Mr. Arm–
strong flew to Peking-the first leader
of a Christian church to be officially
invited to meet with leaders of the
People's Republic of China.
For five days and tour nights, Mr.
Armstrong had formal and informal talks
with leaders of government and educa–
tion as part of what he described as his
" most importan! and successful trip."
" AIIhough in a communist and
atheist-oriented country
1
did not use
Bible language,
1
did get over to lhem
the Gospel of the Kingdom of God,
announcing the coming one-world gov–
ernment of God," he assured readers
of
The Plain Truth
in his
Pastor Gener-
December 1980
af's Report.
He wrote that speaking to
the leaders of Communist China is akin
to reaching one fourth of all the people
on earth, one thousand million people.
In Peking, Mr. Armstrong spoke for
an hour with Tan Zhenlin, vice chairman
of the Standing Committee on the
National People's Congress and one of
the three top men in the Chinese gov–
ernment today. He gave to Tan, a
former close associale of Chairman
Mao Tse-tung and Premier Chou En-lai,
a prophet's-eye view of the coming
United Europe, which will touch off the
final holocaust of this age on earth and
usher in the Kingdom of God.
Mrs. Armstrong, Mrs. Rader and
1,
as
well as sorne of Herbert Armstrong's
" sons" from the Japanese Oiet, were
along on this trip, which included visits
to the " Forbidden City, " the Great Wall
and the national library. Mr.·Armstrong
was guest of honor at a dinner given by
government and university leaders and
also addressed a banquet attended by
many educators and their wives. He was
the main speaker at a dinner given by
the Ambassador lnternational Cultural
Foundation in the Chinese People's
Great Hall for the diplomatic corps.
Mr. Armstrong was very open in his
discussions with the Chinese people. He
told his listeners that they, along with
other human beings in the nations of the
world, are striving to achieve the King–
dom of God on earth . But whatever path
they choose to reach that goal, whether
socialism, democracy or any other form
of government, they cannot succeed.
For man's law cannot bring to pass
what humanity has soughl for 6,000
years, a great new world. God alone
has lhe power lo create His Kingdom
here. lt will be God who will intervene
through Jesus Christ, and Christ will
come to rule as King and High Priest.
There was no effort at conversion;
there never is in any nation he vi sits. The
missionaries who fanned out across
China in the 19th century warned
people to change thei r ways of lile and
accept God or tace fateful conse–
quences. Mr. Armstrong uttered not one
word that even hinted at proselytizing.
He simply told them what lay ahead.
And they listened.
A Chinese employee of the Liberian
Embassy in Peking told one member of
our party:
"1
have never heard such a
message as
1
heard last night in the
Great Hall of the People. There are two
ways of lile. The way of getting causes
all the troubles in the world, and the way.
of giving is the solution.
1
wish
1
could
hear more on this subject, and
1
hope to
hear soon that we may have an office of
the Ambassador foundation here.
1
have
never seen such a man as Mr. Arm–
strong."
We went lo China, not as poli ticians,
not as businessmen seeking any kind of
quid for our quo, not as salesmen trying
to drive a good bargain for our side, but
as people of good will, giving and not
getting, our hands extended not to take
but in friendship. We left sorne of our
treasure and promised we would give
more. We also left something else in the
soil of China-feelings of trust and
admiration . for us and what we seek.
From these seeds great oaks can
grow.
AMBASSADORS FOR
CULTURE
For Service lo Man and
His World
When il became apparent that God had
given Herbert Armstrong grace and
favor in the eyes of government leaders,
our response was lo demonstrate in
tangible form the Church's love, con–
cern and generosity toward the peoples
who welcome us into lheir midst.
In his travels, Mr. Armstrong had
become sharply aware of the gigantic
problems erupting on the world scene,
problems eroding the very foundations
on which civilization as we know it rests.
Everywhere he found life's ugly visage:
crime that imperils man's safety, infla–
tion that threatens his economic wel–
fare, lowered moral standards thal
undermine the stabilily of his family and
his government. Worst of all , he found
hatreds-deep, abiding hatreds that
cause nations lo leap at each others'
throats and murder each others' people
by starvation, torture and the horrors of
31