(NB Headings are not part of original, but are added for clarity)

The World Tomorrow

A Way of Escape

by Herbert W Armstrong

(PLAY FROM START)

My friends, do you understand why we can know the world tomorrow? We can know the future, we can know what's going to happen. No man of himself knows anything about it. Crystal ball gazers can't tell you anything, or astrologers or fortune tellers as I've said so many, many times. But God Almighty does know, and He has revealed it to us because it's important that we know. And there are two reasons why God Almighty can reveal the future, where no man can. First and above all, because God Almighty set all laws in motion, He is the creator of force and energy as well as of matter. He controls the Universe, He rules the Universe. And God is able to say what is going to happen, and to make it happen, because God rules.

Now, we are going to see that, as we go through this prophecy continuing in the fifty-first chapter of Jeremiah. Looking into the future, seeing what's going to happen to Russia, what's going to happen to Europe, what's going to happen to the United States. You know, I've been showing you, my friends, that catastrophic events are going to happen in the very imminent future. They're in the making now undercover only we don't see it. And not understanding the purpose being work out here below, not knowing prophecy, not knowing what's going to happen, the statesmen of the world are groping in the dark. They don't know how to plan, they don't know how to plan for the future of the United States, because they don't know Bible prophecy. They don't know what God says is going to happen. And God says He's going to punish the United States. He is going to give us a good spanking, like any loving father will spank his children, to teach us some lessons that we have got to learn, if we're ever going to find the way to really enjoy, and to continually enjoy, the great prosperity and all of the great advantages that God has bestowed upon us.

Do you realize, my friends, God has bestowed upon us national prosperity and wealth and power and advantages and every material blessing such as no other nation, or no other people have ever enjoyed since this world began. And we didn't get them because of our own superiority at all. We got them because of a forefather of ours, Abraham, thousands of years ago obeyed God and kept His commandments, His statutes, His laws. And that was 430 years before, so many people say God's laws began. You know, so many of them, I can't understand how anyone could call himself a minister of Jesus Christ and think that God was not able to start any laws in motion, or have any laws of any kind, until the days of Moses.

What is Sin? (Play from 3:27)

What does your Bible tell you that sin is? What is sin? What's the Bible definition of sin? Your Bible says "...sin is the transgression of the law." (I John 3:4)

Sin is lawlessness and God is the one who set those laws in motion. In other words, sin then is disobedience to God. It is disobedience to the laws that God Almighty has set in motion. And God's laws aren't just some ideas written on a piece of paper or on stone or something of the sort. God wrote His great spiritual law on tables of stone, yes; but the law is not a fact and a living thing because it was written on stone. It was written on stone because it was a living fact, because those laws were real and they are active. And there is spiritual divine force and power and energy behind those laws. You break them, they're going to break you. That's all, it's automatic. Those laws are in motion. Your Bible says;

"...sin is the transgression of the law." (I John 3:4)

And spiritual sin is the transgression of the spiritual law, and Adam sinned. And as in Adam all sin, and sin began with one man Adam so Adam had to break God's law because that's what sin is. And so God's law has always existed. It's about time we wake up and quit having our arguments because of our hostility against God and because it is natural that the carnal mind is hostile to God and doesn't want God's ways.

Now, because of that, my friends, and because we don't seem to believe, even here in the United States after God has blessed us as no people were ever blessed. We don't seem to believe that we ought to obey God. We think it's alright to do as we think is right. The thing that seems good to us, that seems to be the thing, that we believe we ought to do. And that's what we're doing but you know;

"There is a way that seemeth right unto a man...the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 16:25)

And that's the way we're going. The ways of death, not the ways of life. God's ways are the ways that lead into life, and so God is going to punish us. I've been showing you what was going to happen to the United States, we're way over past that now, over here in the fifty-first chapter of Jeremiah. Showing what is going to happen to this daughter of the ancient Babylon which is the condition of - well, it's the society and of the political condition, the economic condition, the religious condition, the whole fabric of society of the world today. And the whole western world is in this system of Babylon. And God is calling us out, lest we receive of her plagues and her punishments.

And so, we have been seeing how God is going to use Soviet Communist Russia to punish this Babylon after He has used this Babylon to punish us. And I want to tell you, my friends that punishment is coming to the people of The United States. But listen, why is God sending it? Not because God hates mankind;

"...God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

"...the wages of sin [and sin is the transgression of God's law, and the wages of sin] is death;" (Romans 6:23)

It isn't eternal life, it's death. And God so loved you, my friends, that He sent Jesus Christ, that you would not have to pay the penalty of death. The penalty is death and death forever - it's eternal death and it's the second death from which there shall never be a resurrection. It's eternal punishment.

That's what God has set, for those who will not obey Him. But for those who will obey, my friends, you haven't the slightest conception of what is in store for those who do surrender to God. Who will yield their stubborn wills to God, and come by way of Jesus Christ in a right spirit, instead of in a spirit of bitterness, and antagonism, resentment, and malice and wanting their own way, and wanting to go by their own thoughts, and their own wills. Those are the things that we have to put down. Now, God is going to punish us until we do. But listen, if you'll put that down now, if you will surrender to God now, if you will turn to Him through Jesus Christ you won't have to be punished. Why would God punish?

God - The Just Parent (Play from 7:49)

Supposing you had a dozen children in your family - there are families around the United States still, with that many children, that seems to be a strange thing today. You go back fifty years and you'd find a lot of families of that size, but there are still a few today. Supposing you had a dozen children. Supposing eleven of them were quite evil, and they're all young children, and you're going to start to punish them as a loving father and parent should. But one of them is alright and doesn't need punishment. Are you going to punish that one along with the others? I don't think you are, if you're a just parent.

Now, God is a just parent. And if you happen to be one of His begotten children and you have quit transgressing against Him, and you have turned to Him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and in full faith in Jesus Christ. And you're studying His Word, the Bible which; "...is profitable to correct you and reprove you and instruct you in righteousness:" (II Timothy 3:16 paraphrased)

And you're studying it to find the way, and you're following it, you're a doer of the Word, as well as a hearer and a reader. And you're studying it to live by every Word of God. You think He going to punish you? No!

And so, I was just reading, just a while ago, just before I came on the air. I happened to be turning to this ninety-first Psalm and I turned to it in the Moffatt translation because I was just getting ready to come talk to you, and I'm using the Moffatt translation, in the fiftieth and the fifty-first chapters of Jeremiah. I want to read to you a little in this ninety-first Psalm first. I want to show you, my friends, that you don't need to suffer. If you're going to be stubborn, if you're going to be rebellious, if you want your way, if you love this world and you think this world is a pretty good place. And you want to get your share of its pleasures, which are false pleasures after all. God wants you to enjoy life to the full a lot more than people seeking worldly pleasure know anything about. But if you want this kind of pleasure that is empty and leaves heartaches and headaches after it's over, and you're still stubborn and rebellious against God you're going to be punished.

But if you'll put that down and turn to God, here's what He says about you. You're not going to have to go through all this punishment that's coming. You're not going through this Great Tribulation, you won't go through this 'Day of the Lord.' God has a way of protecting you. Listen, ninety-first Psalm;

"Happy the man who stays by the Most High in shelter..." (Psalm 91:1 Moffatt translation unless otherwise indicated)

That is who goes to God for protection and for security. You know, we all want security. We all want safety, we all want assurance for the future that no evil is going to happen. We don't want to live in terror, or in fear of what is going to happen. Now; "Happy is the man who stays by the Most High in shelter, who lives under the shadow of Almighty God," (Psalm 91:1)

Why? Because he has absolute security, and there's no fear in his mind because he knows that he has the promise of God. And when God promises a thing, God keeps His word. You know, some of you parents, you say, 'Little Johnny, you've been naughty, if you do that again, I'm going to spank you.' And Johnny does it again and so, you say, 'Now Johnny, what did you do that for? Didn't I tell you that I'd spank you if you did it again? Now don't make Mommy or Daddy spank you. Oh, Johnny, I will have to spank you if you do it again.' So Johnny does it again, and, 'Oh, Johnny, what did you do it for? I told you now I will spank you if you keep on doing it.' And Johnny keeps on doing it and you don't keep your word at all. You lied to Johnny. You said 'I'm going to spank you' but you don't keep your word.

Listen, when God says I'm going to punish, God punishes. When God says He will protect you, He will protect you, when God says He'll do a thing, God does it. God is no liar. God has power to keep His word and God tells the truth. You can call every man a liar, but don't ever call God a liar, because God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). And God says here, that the man is happy who will come under His protection, because that protection is absolute. If you want security, my friends, there it is. And the way to come to it is by surrender;

"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto God because God's ways, God thoughts, are not yours or ours." (Isaiah 55:7-8 paraphrased)

And when you really have the Spirit of God, you'll see things in a different way. You won't argue about things in the Bible, about what you should and shouldn't do. You'll understand, and you'll be led by the Spirit of God.

So, that man is happy, and, verse 2, the man "who calls the Eternal "My refuge and my fortress " (Psalm 91:2)

Yes, God is your refuge, you don't need to have a big barrier built out of rock or stone or mortar or brick or something of that sort and the kind of barrier that armies provide, and military maneuvers. You know they can be battered down. Let me tell you, my friends, the refuge and the fortress who is Christ and who is God, can't be battered down. There is no power in heaven or earth that can batter that fortress down, that's almighty. So, "the man is very happy who can call the Eternal my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust" (Psalm 91:2 paraphrased)

Trusting in Men (Play from 12:53)

You know what we want to do? We want to put trust in men, we want to rely on men. What are we doing in our nation now? Well, we're trying to rely on Germany and Japan. We're hoping that they are going to be our allies and we're hoping we'll be able to control them, while we begin building up a Frankenstein. And you're going to be in fright and terror of it pretty soon - if you don't know God. That's your only protection, my friends, and you'd better heed it while you may.

"He saves you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pit; he protects you from his pinions and hides you underneath his wings. You need not fear the terrors of the night, nor arrows flying by day;" (Psalm 91:3-5)

Nor need you fear hydrogen bombs. But you need not fear the terrors of the night, nor arrows flying by the day." Well, it's speaking in terms of the kind of weapons they had when this was written, way back there several centuries before Christ. But, let's say that you don't need to fear the fallout of atomic energy, and all that sort of thing today. You don't need to fear anything that's coming if you really know God. But not very many of you do, my friends A lot of you have been kidding yourselves. You think you know God. You're taking a lot for granted; "...let him who thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." (I Corinthians 10:12 KJV)

So, says your Bible and God is the author of that Bible.

"You need [fear no] plague [if you make God your fortress. You need fear no plague] stalking in the dark, nor sudden death at noon;" (Psalm 91:6)

You know, that could come if they unleash atomic or hydrogen power on us. And it's coming - it's coming. You think they are building these things so that they never can use them? Why do you thing the nations are building all these things? You look back in history, can you find a time when nations built weapons and then never used them? Never happened yet, they've always used them. They're going to use them, my friends. Your Bible says so and God knows and when He says what is going to happen, you'd better pay attention. Because it's certain to happen.

Now, sudden death at noon, that's the way it's going to come, or it might be at midnight, when you're sound asleep, and you don't know. You know, a thing can happen to you when you're sound asleep. I remember here the last really big earthquake that we had here in Southern California. I was sound asleep. All of a sudden, the bed began to shake and the whole room was shaking and I heard the whole house creaking and shaking. That's quite a sensation. All of a sudden you wake up and you realize you don't have any warning, there it is - it's on you. And you know what, Jesus Christ said, He said, these things that are coming on us now and our nation and our people, they're coming like a snare (Luke 21:35). We're going to be caught like rats in a trap. You know, when you set a trap, you get a gopher or a rat or something in it. He doesn't know it's there - all of a sudden 'Click', it's got him! The first thing he knows is it's too late. No time now to prepare. No time to run. No time to escape.

Now is the time, Jesus said; "Be ye therefore also ready; for at such an hour as you think not these things are coming on you." (Matthew 24:44 and Luke 12:40 paraphrased)

"...you need not fear plague stalking in the dark, nor sudden death at noon; hundreds may fall beside you, thousands at your right hand, but the plague will never reach you." (Psalm 91:6-7)

God is going to punish the nation for their sins. Yes, the hundreds around you, the thousands around you, they're going to be punished - but not you, if you turn to God. If you surrender to Him. You know you read these things, you've read this ninety-first Psalm many times but did you ever stop and really analyze it? To really think it through and see what it really does say and what it means? Just think of that. Thousands will be falling beside you, but the plague will never reach you;

"...safe shielded by his faithfulness [by God's faithfulness]. You have only to look on and see how evil men are punished;" (Psalm 91:7-8)

They're going to be punished. Why does God punish? God punishes every son He loves. God doesn't punish those He hates. Well, you know, if God hated you, my friends, and if God wanted to see you really suffer, He wouldn't need to punish you. All He needs to do is just let you alone. Just give you lots of rope and watch you hang yourself because you'd do it. You know, we're bringing all this evil on ourselves, look at this world. God has kept hands off. God has let the world do what it wants. God hasn't crammed His religion down anybody's throat. And He hasn't let anybody else do it. God has given us all free reign. Look at this world. Look at your blanched, white anemic pale faces because of lack of health, because we don't know enough to eat the right kind of food. Look at heartaches, look at the headaches, look at the fears and worries. Look at the empty lives all around you. Look at the despondent people, the frustrated people all over this world. What's wrong? They just lost their way, that's all. God is letting them have their own way. They want their own way - God's letting them have it. Look, if God really hated you and wanted you to be punished, all He has to do is let you alone and in time you'll punish your self beyond endurance.

Tough Love (Play from 18:07)

That's why God has set a time limit. Only 6,000 years for mankind to have his own way without the intervening, interference of God and the rule of God forcefully upon him. These are the last days, the very end time days, of that 6,000 years. That's why prophecy is now coming to a climax. We're at the climax, at the close of the 6,000 years God has given mankind. And we're coming to the place where scientists tell us that, very near in the future now, men will blast human life from off the face of the earth. Unless, they think, unless we can have world government. Well, that's the solution in a way, but men can't bring about world government and they never will. Don't think I'm talking any politics. Don't think I'm advocating any idea of human beings trying to get together and form a world government, you can't do that. But God Almighty is going to bring world government because God Almighty is going to step in and rule us, to save us from ourselves.

Now, God punishes those He loves. If God didn't love you, He'd never punish you, He'd just let you punish yourself. Because, you would ultimately, you know; "...[sin and sinful] men...wax worse and worse..." (II Timothy 3:13 KJV)

Your Bible says, and you would continue because sin is a thing that continues progressively. And it increases in it's momentum all the time and finally, well life wouldn't be endurable. If God would let this thing go on for seven thousand years instead of six thousand years, there wouldn't be any people left on earth. Men would destroy themselves from off this earth. And so, God is going to punish those that need the punishment because He loves them. But, if you don't need it, you won't even have to be punished.

Now, listen my friends. The thing is that we've got a lesson to learn. If you learn that lesson, then sure; "a hundred will fall at one side and a thousand beside you [here, as its says] ...You only have to look and see how evil men are punished;" (Psalm 91:7-8 paraphrased)

It's evil men that God punishes, but why? Because God loves evil men. Did that ever occur to you, or do you think that God is just hate? Oh no, God only hates sin, because sin is your enemy. And you're full of it, yes you are, you're full of it and you'd better confess it and get rid of it. Because only Christ, through the blood of Christ, forgiving your past sins and the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit can keep you from sinning any further. That's the only way you can ever be delivered from it. So, you can see how evil men are punished, because God loves them. Because He's going to teach them a lesson and bring them out of what they're doing.

"...but you have sheltered beside the Eternal...no plague can approach your tent...he puts you under his angels' charge, to guard you wherever you go." (Psalm 91:9-11)

Well, there you are, you know I just thought that was wonderful. I looked at it again just before I came on the air a while ago and I thought, I've just got to tell our listeners that, because I've been telling them what's coming on the United States. It doesn't need to happen to you, my friends. If the whole nation will repent of it's ways and turn to God, then destruction won't come to the nation. The only reason God is going to punish this nation of ours, and the only reason that this type of punishment and destruction, and this Great Tribulation I've been telling you about is coming on our own beloved United States, is because we are God's chosen people. And because we are going the wrong way and we are going to bring a terrible end upon ourselves. God has given us wealth, God has given us power, He has given luxuries. We don't know how to use them, we are putting them to a wrong use.

And power, my friends, is a great potential danger when it is uncontrolled or when it is guided in the wrong direction. And that's what we're doing. We have invented great powers, great forces, great destructive forces. But in our educational process we've been so interested in technologies, and in sciences, and in teaching men to invent greater forces for evil and for destruction. But we've been a great deal more intent, and put much greater emphasis in education in this United States today, on developing such forces that men are turning to destructive use. Oh, I know, theoretically we think we're building them for a good use. Sure, we think we built atomic energy because it can be harnessed and put to a good use. It could be, surely, nothing wrong with atomic energy. The only thing that is wrong is the use man puts it to. But what use has it been to so far? What are submarines? Peace vessels carrying merchandise and everything to make us happy or are they used in war, which? You answer.

Why can't we wake up? And most people had rather - well, tune in a movie on TV or something that will carry you off into a make-believe dreamland. Just see the troubles of others or the joy of others or something, and carry you off into a dreamland. You know why, my friends? It is because you are a bunch of escapists. You want to escape the truth and when you try to escape it, it is going to come right on you. Now, I'm showing you the way of escape and Jesus Christ and God Almighty is the only way of escape. Just going to fill your mind with a lot of sawdust and a lot of chaff and worldly entertainment, and worldly amusement. To just get it out of your mind, and shove the truth out of your mind because you don't want to listen. Or, because you're too lazy to use your mind to think. And, you'd rather just let it go blank and a happy dreamland, that gives you pleasing feelings and sensations for the minute. But wasting your time. You know, your time is mighty precious, you just have one life to live. Why don't you live it like you should? Why don't you live it the way that will give you eternal life, and let you live it happily and fully and abundantly forever? That's what God offers you. And you can have it.

The Babylonian System (Play from 24:04)

Well, now we don't have very much time left here, but let's get back into Jeremiah 51, for a little. Well, let's go back to 45, because I know we were in that verse the last broadcast.

"Come out her [this Babylon], my people..." (Jeremiah 51:45)

And that's what God says to us. We are in this system of Babylon now. And Babylon, as I say, it is a great system. It's the system of our western civilization. Now, we have different customs and ideas in different nations, that's true. But the system, is the main thing, it's the big system.

"Come out of her, my people, save your lives, every man of you, from the Eternal's burning wrath." (Jeremiah 51:45)

And I showed you on the preceding program how that is quoted exactly in Revelation 18:4. And it goes right on to show the plagues that are coming on this modern harlot Babylon, the daughter of the Babylon of ancient Chaldea, of 600 years before Christ.

"Never be daunted or dismayed by rumours that you hear, when rumours rise year after year, the tyrants lord it [over] the land. For [mark this] the day comes when I will punish the idols of Babylon." (Jeremiah 51:46-47)

Now, Babylon is this power that is rising up now in Europe. It's a power yet to rise up of ten dictatorships in Europe. You're going to see them happen in a very few years. It's on the way right now, only you haven't seen it yet, it isn't in the news yet. But all of the plans are maturing. I don't know which ten nations are coming in or which ten dictatorships. God doesn't tell us that, I only know what He tells us. But what He tells us is certain to happen and you are going to see it in your time.

Now, mark this;"...the day comes that I will punish the idols of Babylon, when all her country is confounded, and her inhabitants drop dead. Then heaven and the earth and all of their host shall exult over Babylon; for invaders from the north-land..." (Jeremiah 51:47-48)

That's Russia, Russia is north of old Babylon and Russia is north of Palestine. And again as I have showed you, that is the USSR, that's Russia, coming to punish Babylon after this modern Babylon - yet to rise up - has been used to punish us to teach us a lesson because God's loves us.

Now then; "Yes, Babylon shall fall, O slain of Israel, as slain men have fallen everywhere from Babylon. You, who have escaped the sword, stay not, get away; remember the Eternal yonder, bethink you of Jerusalem. "We are ashamed," you say, "at hearing of this outrage; foreigners entering the sacred temple [foreigners entering God's sacred temple]!- it covers us with shame [that's what our people are quoted here as saying]." But [mark this] a day comes, the Eternal answers, when I punish the idols of Babylon, till wounded men groan over the land." (Jeremiah 51:49-52)

You know, God will take an evil nation and use them to punish another nation. In this case, He's going to use them to punish His own chosen people. That's us, not just the Jews alone. The Jews and our people. Yes, because we are Israel, if you don't understand that write in for that booklet 'United States in Prophecy,' because you don't understand prophecy unless you know that, that's a challenge. I hope you'll take advantage of it. And, really, not be ignorant anymore but know, this very foundation of all prophecy.

Now;"Though Babylon mounted to the sky, though she entrenched herself on high, yet I would speed invaders [to assail] her, the Eternal answers. Hark! shrieks from Babylon, A mighty crashing in Chaldea! 'Tis the Eternal battering down Babylon, stilling the din of her city-life [well there is modern city life in Babylon]! The enemy surge in like the roaring tides, shouting aloud; for the invader has reach Babylon, her soldiers are captured, their bows are all shattered. For the Eternal is the God of retribution, he never fails to punish." (Jeremiah 51:53-56 )

He'll keep His word. He's going to do it. Well, I'm going to have to stop there.