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free Western world could be resolved
by a massive drive to achiev.e, step by
step, a European political federation.
A United States of Europe with its
own nuclear deterrent under supra–
national control would form the sec–
ond essential pillar of a Western de–
fense community in alliance with the
United States of America.
"We must establish a new set of
political facts, a new political Eu–
rope, not divorced from America, not
merely neutral between Russia and
America, but a política! Europestand–
ing on its own feet. If the process is to
take time, then it must be time put to
good use.
1
am not prepared to go on
listening to thesame weary slogans for
the next ten, twenty or thirty years
until
l
am eighty. [He will be 64 in
September.) We must change the bal–
ance of power in the world; we must
stabilize the military balance of nu–
clear deterrents and we must wage a
political campaign with increasing
strength on our side."
Church and State
As the Editor-in-Chief of
The Plain
Truth ,
Herbert W. Armstrong, has
stressed repeatedly ever since this
magazine was founded 45 years ago,
the stage is being set for the last end–
time reviva! of the Roman Empire.
Notice what Mr. Armstrong, hav–
ing researched the prophecies of the
Bible, wrote in the June-July 1934
issue of
The Plain Truth:
"Scripture
prophesies
TWO GREAT MILITARY
POWERS
to arise in the last days–
one the reviva! of the Roman Empi re
by a federation of 1
O
nations in the
territory of the ancient Roman Em–
pire; the other, 'Gog', or Russia with
her a ll ies.... "
And with unique, God-given in–
sight, he wrote in the October 1951
Plain Truth:
"The pope a lone can
provide the leadership, the unifying,
solidifying element to make this
United States of Europe- this resur–
rected Roman Empíre- a reality."
And more recently, in the J anuary
1979
P/ain Truth,
written befare
J ohn Paul
li
embarked on his prece–
dent -shattering trip to Poland:
" 1
have been proclaiming and writing,
ever since 1935, that the final one of
the seven eras of the Holy Roman
Empire is coming in our genera-
The
PLAIN TRUTH August 1979
tion- a 'United States of Europe,'
combining ten nations or groups of
nations in Europe- with a union of
church and state!
"The nations of Europe have been
striving to become reunited. They de–
sire a common currency, a single
combined military force, a single
unite~
government. They have made
a start in the Common Market. They
are now working toward a common
currency. Yet, on a purely política!
basis, they have been totally unable
to unite.
" In only one way can this resur–
rected Holy Roman Empire be
brought to fruition- by the 'good of–
fices' of the Vatican, uniting church
and state once again, with the Vatican
astride and ruling (Rev. 17: 1-5) ....
"T his new united Europe will be,
mi li tarily and economically, as
strong, or even more powerful, than
either the United States or the
U.S.S.R.
It
will be a third gigantic
world power! But it will be exceed–
ingly short-lived (Rev. 17:10, 12)–
as iron and miry clay are not adhe–
sive, and will not stick together"
(Daniel 2:42-43).
The soon-coming resurrection of
the Roman Empire will once again
be a church-and-state union . In one
sense, Joseph Stalin was correct. The
Pope does not have "divisions," but
he has millions of people. Their orga–
nization ihto operable " divisions"
will have to be the function of state
a uthority.
Simi larly, the secular rulers, as the
Communist Jeaders of Eastern Europe
graphically show today, canno·t be ef–
fective unless they have the hearts of
the people behind them. Only the
church can deliver the people to the
approved state authority!
Personalities on the Scene?
The personalities prophesied to play
enormous roles before the close of
this age and the establishment of the
Kingdom of God just .may be on the
scene now, although the Bible does
not mention them by name.
Regarding J ohn Paul
ll,
Time
magazine said: "The Slav Pope has
suddenly emerged from his trium–
phant visit to Poland as a dramatic
and compelling personality on the in–
ternational scene. John Paul will
surely have something of his own to
say about the principalities and
powers of bis era."
The reason the Communist au–
thorities a llowed the former Cardinal
Karol Wojtyla to return is that they
hoped to get a papal visit "out of the
way early.: ' .Now the Pope is serving
notice that he wants to return in
about three year's time!
Pope John Paul
11
is also consider–
ing an appearance before the United
Nations this fall- to be combined
with a circuit visit to at least seven
American cities. With the exception
of Pope Pa ul Vr s 1965 visit to U.N.
headquarters, a ruling pope has never
been to the United States.
As J ohn Paul
JI
bears watching, so
do Franz-Josef Strauss and Otto von
Habsburg. Christopher Hollis, in the
foreword to von Habsburg 's book
The
Social Order ofTomorrow,
points out
that Otto "would like to see Europe
resume her essential unity and in the
symbolism of that unity he thinks that
the imperial crown of Charlemagne
and of the Holy Roman Empire might
well have its part to play."
Just theotherday, herein Vienna at
the
Schatzkammer,
or Royal Trea–
sury, in the old Imperial Palace,
f
looked at one of these symbols. En–
cased in glass, the crown of the Holy
Roman Empire, dating back to the
time of Otto the Great in the tenth
century, is on display.
It
seems to be
waiting for one final emplacement.
Thecrowning ofthesecular a uthor–
íty of the soon-coming church-state
combination might occur here in this
city of intense European tradition–
the seat of authority for the Holy
Roman Empire for hundreds of years,
and, following its demise in 1814, the
place ofrule ofthe Austro- Hungarian
Empireuntill918.
Vienna-and neutral Austria- is
the bridge between East and West
today. One wonders about the future
use of the massive " U.N.-city" com–
plex being completed just across the
Danube. It belongs to the government
of Austriá, but will be leased to the
United Nations as a "third" U.N.
headquarters. Might it be used for
other purposes in the future?
Keep your eyes on Pope John Paul
11, Franz-Josef Strauss, Otto von
Habsburg-and Vienna .
o
43