The World Tomorrow

Outline of Prophecy (Part 2)

by Herbert W Armstrong

(PLAY FROM START)

Well greetings friends, this is Herbert W Armstrong with the good news of the World Tomorrow. Let's get back now to the outline of prophecy. What's going to happen? Prophecy shows that another power - least suspected by the world now - will suddenly skyrocket into gigantic world power. A swift-moving regime that will rise up in Europe, resurrecting the Roman Empire of old.

It is going to gather yet far greater power and momentum than now. It will most certainly be heard from in the future. Well, what does all this mean? Well it means, my friends, as I have repeatedly said, "there is a purpose being worked out here below." God Almighty is doing the working out. God is the creator but His work of creation is far from finished as people seem to suppose.

All that was created that you find described in the first chapter of Genesis in your Bible was the physical, the material creation, the raw matter - or the material - out of which God is now working out His supreme spiritual creation. God is ruler of the universe. It is God who actually mapped out and who planned the geographical locations of the various nations on the earth today.

God planned that Russia would be in the interior exactly where she is. God Almighty planned that the British would be in the islands exactly where they are today. God has devised and planned these things in a way that we poor little humans on this earth seem to know nothing about. It is God who actually causes the rise and the fall of nations. It is God who determines the outcome of wars, and it was God Almighty who gave us, by supernatural miracles that we don't seem to understand, the victory in World War I and World War II.

And God Almighty is about through giving us victories and is going to let us go down in defeat if we do not wake up and if we don't repent of our evil ways and if we don't again SEEK our God and get back to the God whose people we are, and who has given us all of the vast wealth, the great economic prosperity, the luxuries, the power, the world power; every advantage, everything that we have, has been bestowed by a God of love whose people we are.

And God loves our people. God has blessed us with blessings beyond that of any other peoples or any other nations in all the history of this world. And my friends, what have we done with it? We have forsaken God. We have turned from God's ways. We have built up ways of our own that we like to brag about and become even, to some extent, patriotic about in the sense that we are making worship of it and denying the worship of the true God, and we don't seem to realize it, and it's about time we wake up!

False Prophets and War (Play from 3:11)

We are God's people. We're not His favourite people but we are His chosen people and we were chosen for work that we are not performing. God have mercy on us and help us to wake up! It is God that determines the outcome of wars and He is going to let us go under if we don't wake up and return to Him. He is the one that won World War I for us and World War II, and He and He only can win for us the war that is coming, and we're forsaking Him and turning to allies that are going to forsake us. God help us then to wake up.

This world has cut itself off from God and from the intimate KNOWLEDGE of God and of God's purpose and of God's plans until our people and our leaders don't seem to understand God's purposes, they don't seem to understand His plans and how He's working out things. God is manipulating things the way they go on this earth, my friends, and for a great OVERALL supreme purpose.

Prophecy is merely the outline, revealed in advance, for those to whom it is given to understand, those that will yield themselves to God, to His ways and His purposes. It is the outline then of future world history that is working out that divine purpose. That's what it is.

Now, already we've seen that Jesus Christ, when He was asked what was going to happen, He looked down from the time that He was living, 1900 years ago, down through this stream of time, and He foretold what would happen. First He said, there would be false prophets preaching a false Christ, taking HIS name, coming IN His name, and saying that He was the Christ, and even representing a false Christ and applying His name, and that they would deceive the many.

Do you know, my friends that right now there are many in this world that believe in, and are accepting a false Christ that is not the Jesus of your Bible? Believe it or not they have been deceived and they think they have the true Christ and they have a counterfeit. I mean that there are millions of us, millions here in the United States, applying the name of Jesus Christ to a false Christ. It is the greatest religious hoax of this time.

Now we've already seen, as I said that Jesus said what would happen, that first that would come. Now that "mystery of iniquity" (II Thessalonians 2:7) - preaching a false gospel - even a false Christ, coming in the name of Christ but with a false gospel and "deceiving [the] many" (Matthew 24:5). That even began in His very day, or in that same general generation.

The apostle Paul mentioned in I Thessalonians, the very, or second Thessalonians I should say, the second chapter, that that "mystery of iniquity" (II Thessalonians 2:7) already was working. You know the true gospel is called the mystery. It's the mystery of God, and you know that the false religions have been called mystery too. There were the old Chaldean, or the old Babylonian mysteries, the old ancient, heathen, false PAGAN religion out of which every false religion on this earth has sprung, and from which it has originated. And that was already working. It's a "mystery of iniquity."

Iniquity, or evil, or sin, or transgression of the laws of God that is sin. That is the definition of sin in your Bible. The transgression, "where there is no law there is no transgression." (Romans 4:15) And sin is the transgression of God's law! (I John 3:4)

Then again my friends, next He said, you'll "hear of wars and rumours of wars," (Matthew 24:6) but that wasn't the end. In the end it was going to climax in world war. Well that's where we are now. We have already had World War I and World War II. We are in a recess between that and World War III right now, that's where we are.

Famine and Pestilence Next (Play from 7:14)

The next thing He said would happen was famine and pestilence, or that is, terrific famine that is going to result also in an epidemic of disease that the doctors and the physicians of this world will know nothing about. They will not have any time or any way to cope with it! My friends it's coming. Men are trying in their own way and in their own strength, not knowing the power of God and not knowing that they could go to God for these things that men try to do on their own strength. And they are trying to find a way to prevent or to heal these things now.

Let me tell you my friends, God Almighty is going to let come on us, - and as a matter of fact, our ways are going to bring it on ourselves - such an epidemic of disease that doctors will know nothing about it. There will be no serums. There will be no ANYTHING that can prevent it, and it's coming soon. We see the little bits of drought happening now. We got our first big foretaste of it back in 1934 and 1935 in those tremendous dust storms that just simply drought out thousands upon thousands of our fine farmers in Kansas and South Dakota and in other parts of the middle West. And it's coming in spots now. Weather is playing tricks, topsy-turvy, and that's in your Bible.

Now in the first chapter of Joel are a lot of prophecies about it. I am just giving you the outline now. In other places in the Bible are prophecies that paint the details and picture what's going to happen. Well in the first chapter of Joel it tells you about it. Let me just read you again just a little tiny bit about it back here in Joel the very first chapter. It's going to be a terrible time when this is universal and it's going to sweep our whole land. It's going to sweep you people up there in Canada. It's going to sweep our British cousins and northwestern Europe, and it's a time just before the period known prophetically as "The Day of the Lord " is coming. It says,

"The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; (for) the corn is withered. ...the beasts [do] groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; [yea] the flocks of sheep are made desolate. O [Eternal] to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures [the scorching rays of the sun devoured the pasture] of the wilderness ...the flame hath burned the trees of the field [no rain, no water, just hot sun]. The beasts of the field also cry unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up. And the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness." (Joel 1:17-20)

It Does Not Need to Happen (Play from 9:47)

I tell you my friends, it is setting in and already there is a disturbance of weather conditions. Now you turn back just a little further and this is a prophecy for us and for our people. I have read it to you before. In the early part of the prophecy of Ezekiel in the very fifth chapter of Ezekiel, and this is what it says of our people, speaking of our nation.

My friends listen, this doesn't mean much to some people, they just don't get it, no savvy so to speak, but this is the Word of God and this has the POWER and the AUTHORITY of God and it's a WARNING to our people of what's going to happen and yet our nation can ESCAPE it, and I am proclaiming this warning my friends to try to WAKE you people up and to WAKE UP America so it NEED NOT HAPPEN, because it does NOT need to happen if we'll only wake up and return to our God. Now if we don't wake up, here's what's going to come on us, listen.

"A third part of thee [America] shall die with the pestilence, and with the famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee:" (Ezekiel 5:12)

One third of our people, your lovely, loving little babies; your old people that are helpless; your most healthy middle-aged and young people, they're going to be dropping dead all around you. My friends, it doesn't need to happen. And again, I say to you, if the whole nation will not heed, if the WHOLE nation will not turn to God and STOP this thing from coming, you as an individual, if you are the only one in all the United States, if you will turn to God, this will not happen to you.

And if you don't, you've heard the warning, your ears are listening right now this minute, my friends, and your blood will be on your own hands, and it's going to come and take you. THIS THING IS CERTAIN, YOU'RE BEING WARNED.

I'm well aware of the fact that whenever God has sent a prophet to warn our people in the past, they would never heed. God sent a prophet once to warn a Gentile city, Nineveh, and Nineveh did heed. They did repent, and Nineveh was going to have been destroyed, but it was not destroyed because they repented and they asked God for mercy.

"A third part of thee [God says] shall die with the pestilence, and with the famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee:" (Ezekiel 5:12)

That's what it says. That's the Word of God, "Thus saith the Lord." That's the twelfth verse, the fifth chapter of Ezekiel. I haven't time to go into all the details, but that is a prophecy for now, for the time just ahead and it applies to the United States of America today. And if you don't understand HOW that applies to America, if you don't know WHERE the United States is mentioned in prophecy, if you don't understand how to know what Bible prophecy says about OUR NATION, OUR PEOPLE, then my friends, you’d better get that pen or that pencil and write immediately, right now for our shocking, amazing, eye-opening booklet, ‘United States in Prophecy.’

You cannot understand Bible prophecy unless you understand that veritable key that is given to you in that booklet, ‘United States in Prophecy.’ You’d better write in for that immediately, if you have not already done it. There is no charge whatsoever. Just write for it and we'll be happy to send you a copy.

Study it with your Bible. Open up your Bible and see where we are mentioned in prophecy and then you can know what is foretold for us. Your little children are going to live right into this and I tell you my friends, it is going to happen to this living generation and within a very few years. You need to know.

The Watchman (Play from 13:47)

Before I turn away from this here in Ezekiel, I want to turn over to the thirty-third chapter and read you something there. Ezekiel 33:

"Again the word of the [Eternal] came to me, saying, Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon the land [this is God speaking. Does God ever bring a sword on a land? Does God have anything to do with wars? Listen, my friends, God says, when I bring a sword or some foreign army on your land] if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman; If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head." (Ezekiel 33:1-4)

That's speaking to all of you hearing this program right now. If you hear this and you do nothing about it, "if the sword come and take him away, his blood [will] be on his own head." That's speaking to you.

"He heard the sound of the trumpet [you're hearing it right now, he], took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul." (Ezekiel 33:5)

Did you hear that? Listen, my friends "but he that taketh warning" - if you will heed this, if you will realize that this is the very sacred, stern Word of God and that this means what it says, "he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul."

That is a promise - that is a written promissory note, it's in the Word of God and you have the authority of God Almighty that you shall be spared, if you will conform to those conditions, if you will take warning. And if not, you also have God's promise of what's going to happen to you.

"But if the watchman see the sword come..." (Ezekiel 33:6)

I see it coming. How do I see it? Through the prophecies of God. God has opened this up to some of our people. And here again my friends, there are many thousands of you people that are in my listening audience out there that are co-workers, that voluntarily, without any solicitation have become co-workers and who have contributed the money to make it possible for this program to go out, that your ears could be hearing this warning.

They have taken me for their watchman. They have set me to watch, and I have watched and I have looked into Bible prophecies. That's the place to watch what's coming on the earth. In the Bible prophecies is the only place you can see the future! God knows the end from the beginning. God is the one who reveals what's coming, and here it is. Now I am that watchman in this case.

"...if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; (Ezekiel 33:6)

Now if I get a little faint and weak-kneed and think, "Well I'd better not"...that's pretty serious. You know, to proclaim something like that is going to come on OUR NATION and this WHOLE UNITED STATES and is going to PUNISH US so SEVERELY. Maybe I'd say, "Well I don't know, I don't believe I have quite the courage to come and shout a thing like that. People won't believe it. They'll say I'm crazy. They'll laugh at me."

I see it's coming alright in Bible prophecy. I know it's true but the people don't believe the Bible and so I get weak-kneed and I say, "Well I'm going to tremble a little bit here before the people. I'm afraid of people, I won't say this."

"...and the people be not warned; if the sword come [and it's coming, because God says so], and take [away] any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand." (Ezekiel 33:6)

And if I don't shout that warning, God Almighty will take your blood and it will be on my head! God says, “I will require his blood at the watchman's hand.” Now that's just a little bigger than I think I can take. Now I'm not going to tremble at what you people say out there at all. I'm going to tremble before what God says, and that's what He says in His word. HE SAYS THAT! I want you to look, it's Ezekiel thirty-three, and I've read to you the first six verses. If you don't know where it means our people and where the United States is mentioned in prophecy, get that booklet, ‘United States in Prophecy.’ my friends, and come to understand it.

Vain Worship (Play from 18:15)

Alright, now then, let's get back. The next thing to happen then is that very thing. Now He said we could be accounted worthy to escape under certain conditions didn't He? Alright, the very next thing to come at that time is a flight of God's people. And the very thing that is happening right now at this moment in Bible prophecy is what Jesus proclaimed that is to come just before these things.

Jesus said,"...many will come in my name. They will say that I am Christ; and will deceive the many." (Matthew 24:5 paraphrased)

How can you deceive? Jesus said, " Why call ye me Lord, Lord and DO not the things [that] I say?" (Luke 6:46)

Your Bible says - the writings of the apostle Paul; " it is not the hearers but the DOERS of THE LAW that shall be justified." (Romans 2:13 paraphrased) That’s in the second chapter of Romans in your Bible. Your Bible says that my friends. The doers and not the hearers.

Now Jesus said, "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom... but [only] they that DO the will of my Father..." (Matthew 7:21) Only they that DO the will of my Father.

And Jesus said, "...in vain do they worship me [this is the seventh chapter of Mark], teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." (Mark 7:7) And following the traditions of men.

He says, "you make the law of God of no effect, by your traditions, following traditions of men" (Mark 7:13 paraphrased). In other words just the customs and the ways that everybody is going, the things that everybody does.

Now, I remember when I was a boy, come time that we had to get some new clothes and we had to get eggs and we had to get things to put around those eggs. I forget, I haven't done it for so long now, I scarcely remember.

There was something we put around those eggs that put pretty pictures and colours all over those eggs and I guess rabbits were supposed to have laid them. Did you ever see a rabbit lay an egg? Well, anyhow, we always had lots of eggs for breakfast I remember on Easter morning. Now WHY did we do those things? Custom, customs of the people. Was that following the law of God or was that making the law of God of no effect by our tradition?

Well if you want to know the answer of that, write in for our booklet on ‘Easter.’ that'll give you the truth about that. And if you want to know that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was not on Sunday at all, but was on a different day of the week altogether; there is a shocking thing for you, and you can read it in your Bible. And if you have a child that has had even the first year of arithmetic, which is usually, I believe, isn't it in the second grade instead of the first grade, if they've had one grade of arithmetic in school, they can figure this thing out in the Bible.

Oh I know some men with letters after their names can't figure it out, but you know Jesus said, "I thank thee Lord, God of heaven; or Father in heaven, that these things are revealed unto babes, but are hidden from the wise and the prudent" (Matthew 11:25 paraphrased). Now some of the higher critics can't quite figure it out, I’ll tell you, but it's very plain. It's very simple. A child can see it very, very plainly.

You better write in and get that booklet, that's called ‘The Resurrection.' Just write for our...well there's more to it on the title, but that's all you need. You can remember that. Write in for the booklet ‘The Resurrection.’ and if you want to know the truth about Easter and whether God commands it or whether Jesus Christ forbids you to observe it. If you want to know the truth, write in for the booklet on ‘The Resurrection.’

The Kingdom of God (Play from 21:48)

Now I know these things are startling, but I want to tell you my friends, there's been a lot of counterfeit going around, and it's looked quite genuine, and a lot of us have been duped and deceived and it's about time we come to the truth. Now I don't want to preach any negative gospel, just to attack and running down. I don't do that. I want to preach the positive truth, but we also have to root out the error my friends. And it isn't only those that GROW IN GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE, but also those that OVERCOME, that are going to enter the Kingdom of God. And you have to UNLEARN before you can learn, and so it is a combination of unlearning error and getting rid of it, and LEARNING TRUTH, that you may know what is the real truth.

Now at this time Jesus said, "And this gospel of the KINGDOM..." (Matthew 24:14)

The gospel of the Kingdom is the Kingdom of God as Jesus preached it, and it's the government of God. Now He preached that it is something that you can be born into, that you ENTER into, but FLESH AND BLOOD CAN'T enter into it. You have to be BORN AGAIN; you're BORN into the Kingdom of God.

And also my friends, He preached that it is a kingdom that is to rule the world. And if you are one who is born into it, if you are an overcomer, Jesus said; "[I will] grant to sit with me in my throne ...as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne." (Revelation 3:21)

And He says that He will give you, if you overcome, He will give you "POWER over the nations[and you] shall RULE them with a rod of iron" (Revelation 2:26; 27). And He's coming as the "King of kings and the Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16) to rule this whole wide world!

Now that's the Kingdom of God, it's going to rule the world. The SAINTS shall take over the government and POSSESS the Kingdom and RULE the world forever and ever, as you read in the seventh chapter of Daniel and as the prophecies of the Bible show. Oh there's a purpose to the Christian life. Now that is the kingdom that Jesus preached, and every prophecy says that they would do away with that and proclaim the traditions of men and do away with the idea of obedience to God.

They take the NAME of Christ and they would talk ABOUT Christ, of the gospel about His person, but His MESSAGE, OBEDIENCE to God, the GOVERNMENT of God, the fact that God is supreme ruler, they would not preach. But "...this gospel of the Kingdom SHALL be preached in all the world for a witness unto ALL nations; and then shall the end come." (Matthew 24:14)

The Time is Short (Play from24:10)

These things are coming swiftly. My friends, the very fact of this broadcast that is coming into your ears this minute, means that we are very CLOSE to these things that are coming, this coming invasion that is going to happen to us. And it is not coming from the power that you think but from another.

Tune in at this same time, every night, every noon, or every morning and hear the World Tomorrow – get these things and you will understand them. Now listen, I want you to sit down right now, and to write in for two very special booklets. Now listen carefully, you must ask for these booklets by name. First ‘Why were you BORN?’. I think of all of the booklets that we have written, that we’ve published, that I’ve been announcing on this program for years and years – there as never been one more important than this.

This lays down before you the whole purpose of life. It lays down the whole of the whys and wherefores of this thing that we call salvation. Why do we need it? And just what is it? What do you get and how? Why does God permit wars and so much human suffering, heartache and fears and worries, and all this type of thing? Empty lives, why does God allow such suffering in this world? And what is the purpose being worked out here below?

You know that mankind seems to have failed utterly to understand. He has lost his way – he has lost sight of the very purpose of life. And yet there is a reason why – not only why the world was put here – not only why God put mankind here in general, but, listen, there is a reason why God had you born as an individual. There is a reason why you, as a person, as an individual, were put here on this world and most of you don’t know what it is. And you are failing to realize that very purpose.

Now naturally it has to do with the plan of redemption, but even that plan is not very widely understood today, nor rightly preached. As a matter of fact, very few understand the plan; very few understand the purpose; very few understand what redemption is, what salvation is; where we go; what is the condition; what are the terms; how do we get there; why do we need it; - all of those things. You know, we should ask and we should understand. But did you ever look into it? You will if you read this booklet, it will explain it. It will explain all about it. Well you won’t receive this booklet unless you ask for it specially. You have to write in separately and specially and mention it by name. The name of this booklet, ‘Why were you BORN?’. Now jot that down immediately, I hope you have pen or pencil and paper right there before you. If not get it immediately and jot it down right now.

Now the other booklet ‘All About Water Baptism.’ just write in for the booklet on ‘Water Baptism.’. Now this booklet - a very attractive booklet – explains the way of salvation. Completely answers the question, is water baptism essential to salvation. It explains the way of salvation. It explains about the thief on the cross – was he saved without water baptism? Now he had no opportunity, did he to be baptised in water? Could he be saved without it? What is the proper form, mode, or way of baptising if it is now in force and effect, and a condition to salvation? Is it sprinkling, is it pouring or is it immersion? Then this question, should babies and children be baptised? Do you really know the answer?

Well, these booklets my friends will make it very plain. Now first here is this booklet ‘Why were you BORN?’. Be sure and write in for that and list the booklet by name ‘Why were you BORN?’ and the other booklet on ‘Water Baptism.’

Until then this is Herbert W Armstrong saying, "Goodbye friends."