The World Tomorrow

The Ten Tribes - Part 2

by Herbert W Armstrong

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Well, greetings friends. This is Herbert W Armstrong with the Good News of the World Tomorrow!

If New York City were to be blown off the map by an enemy hydrogen bomb tonight, you'd read all about it in tomorrow's newspapers, and you'd be rather excited about reading it. Yes, you'd read all about it. You'd spend a lot of time learning all the terrifying, unbelievable, tragic details of so great a catastrophe.

I remember a conversation in the city newsroom of a daily newspaper, of which I was then advertising manager and acting general manager, some twenty-five years ago. We were speculating on what would make the most sensational possible eight-column banner headline. That's rather an interesting thing, it might be a suggestion for any newspaper man listening in. What would be the most sensational possible newspaper headline that you could spread across the whole front page?

Well it was seriously agreed at the time that the headline 'New York City Blown Off The Map' would be the most sensational possible headline. Though the city news editor scoffingly suggested, 'The Second Coming of Christ' would top it - although he said it scoffingly.

Well, nearly all of you buy daily newspapers, or subscribe to them. And you spend some little time daily, to keep informed on what has already happened in your city and in the world, during the past twenty-four hours or so. But do you know, that you have in your home a different kind of a newspaper, that writes out in advance the catastrophic world news, including what is going to happen to your town, during the next five, ten, and twenty years? And yet you ignore that, you spend very little time on it. And it is that portion of your Bible, about one third of the entire Bible, that is telling you what's going to happen in the next five, ten, or twenty years.

Why do you ignore that? Why are you not concerned about knowing the great catastrophic things that are going happen before they occur; as much as you are about reading some great terrible thing that did happen last night, or yesterday sometime, after it's already over?

I wonder if you realize that about one third of the Bible is prophecy. Ninety percent of that, approximately, is devoted to the pulsating present, and the time immediately ahead of us - the next few years. Yet that is the neglected third of the Bible. That's the third you seldom ever hear a sermon about. You seldom ever hear it preached. And if you do, it would barely be to get a word out of it, or something. And then the preacher to go on and preach something of his own ideas, about something, has nothing to do with what is actually going to happen in the world. And yet here in the Bible, about one third of it devoted to prophecy - telling you what is going to happen.

Now they can be understood. They haven't been understood, because God had closed and sealed most of the prophecies until this time of the end in which we live now. We are living in that time. God's time is come to open up the prophecy, to reveal the secrets, the mysteries of God that have been closed and hidden and sealed until now. We can know, we are living in this time. We are living in a time of change. We are living in a time when this whole world is changing so rapidly, as it never did before. There has never been a time like this in the history of the world. And things are happening fast and they are going to happen faster in the immediate future. We are in sort of a lull right now, but I want to tell you that there are gigantic forces working furiously undercover.

Over in Germany and Europe, over in Moscow, Russia. Yes, and in portions of South America that you don't seem to know anything about or to realize. Planning things that are going to frighten the world and take your breath a few years from now, when these forces and these powers are unleashed into the terrific world-wide action that is soon to come. And it's all reported in advance in your Bible, you can read about it. Things are going to happen that may mean your life, and that of your children.

You can be protected, if you know. If you knew that you were going to be in a terrible fire in a hotel, and if you just get out of that hotel, that you'll escape. But if you stay there, you are going to be trapped, and no way of getting out. You are going to be burned to death. You'd be sort of a fool, wouldn't you, if you stayed in the hotel, knowing what was going to happen? And yet most of you would probably, well I don't want to call anybody a fool now, but I don't want you to misinterpret what I'm saying. But I do think that most of you would probably not believe the warning. You'd probably stay in the hotel, if you were warned what's going to happen in advance. It seems we think no one can know what is going to happen, and no man can. But God Almighty does know, and He has revealed it, and you can know.

Jeremiah a Prophet to the Nations (PLAY FROM 05:30)

Let's see what is foretold and what is going to happen, where you live in your town. And so we have seen now the past about three programs, I guess it is, that we have been on this subject now. That this prophet, Jeremiah, who lived about 600 years before Christ, was ordained of God. He was one of three men, by the way, mentioned in the Bible, at least so far as we know, one of three men that was sanctified before he was born. Called to be a prophet, even before he was born. I wonder if you know who the other two were, that were sanctified even before they were born?

Well, one of them was John the Baptist. You know who the other one was? Now think hard. It was, Jesus Christ. And so Jeremiah, in that sense, ranks with Christ Himself and with John the Baptist. The only three mentioned in all the Bible that were sanctified before they were born. Jeremiah was a very important prophet. He had a very important mission. But right now we are more interested, the present time, in what I want to bring you in his prophecy for us today.

Not that phase of prophecy about ancient Judah 600 years before Christ. Because his prophecy, so far as the prophetic part of his book, and it's a considerable history, in his book as well as prophecy. But the prophetic part of Jeremiah's book, is partially a prophecy of an immediate event that was to happen during his lifetime. And happened almost immediately to the people of Judah. The Jewish people who were invaded by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. And, of course, that's all here - perhaps we'll come to a little of that prophecy in the present broadcast.

But he was made a prophet to the nations, the house of Israel as well as the house of Judah. Now the house of Israel had existed up north of Judea, north of Judah, or the Jewish people. They were not Jews, they were never called Jews. The first place in all your Bible, where the word Jews occurs is in II Kings the sixteenth chapter and the sixth verse. And there, believe it or not, you find that the Jews were at war against Israel. And Israel allied with King Pekah of Syria, was warring against the Jews. Why, the Jews were one nation - Judah - and Israel was another nation altogether, and they weren't Jewish. They were never called Jews – never.

But they were the people that had been driven out into a slavery and a captivity about a 130 years before Jeremiah wrote. And they had migrated from the southern shores of the Caspian Sea, where they had been removed from northern Palestine. They had migrated actually up into north western Europe and over into the British Isles. And that's where most of them were by the time Jeremiah wrote. Now they had never been in any invasion or captivity of any kind from that time until now. Well, I think they have been – well I don't know, as they have either been actually invaded. They have been attacked, but, they have always conquered until now. And yet, there is a prophecy here for them. And that is a prophecy for us.

Now you need our booklet 'The United States in Prophecy’ to realize and to understand and to check in your Bible and to see with your own eyes, the most astounding news of this entire century. That we the white English speaking peoples of North America, the United States and Canada, and the British people, as well as the nations, the democracies of North Western Europe, are the descendants of those so-called 'Lost Ten Tribes'. Just like a lot of the prophecies that have been lost, closed and sealed until now, so our identity was lost, and closed and sealed until now.

But now it's available. God's time has come to open it up to those who have the eyes to see. To those whose minds are not clouded by such prejudice, and by sneering and ridicule, and unwillingness to believe truth, that God is now opening up. You can know the truth. Write and get this booklet. Check it with your own Bible. Believe what you see in your Bible. Just use this booklet to show you where you'll find it. You're going to be dumbfounded.

So when it is speaking of Israel, and when it is speaking here in Jeremiah's prophecies - the House of Israel - it's not speaking of the Jewish people at all. It is speaking of our people. And when Jeremiah talks about an invasion, and a captivity, and a destruction to come, he's talking about something that is going to happen in our days now.

Jeremiah's Message for Us Today (PLAY FROM 10:20)

Now, another key to understanding these prophecies of modern time, that have not been understood until now, is the duality of these prophecies. The fact that prophecy pertains, quite frequently, to an event that did happen way back there, perhaps 600 years before Christ, like this invasion of Judah. But also applies anti-typically to what is going to happen now just before the Second Coming of Christ. Now you can't understand what's going to happen, if you can't see that. If you're unwilling to see it, you're just not going to understand, and might as well let it go at that.

But here was Jeremiah now, a prophet to the nations, Israel and Judah. A prophet to our people as well as the Jewish people. And as we have seen, in the past broadcast or two, he said here in the second chapter and the fourth verse:

"Listen to the Eternal's word, O house of Jacob [families]...all [the] families of the house of Israel:" (Jeremiah 2:4 Moffatt)

He is speaking to our people there, not the Jews at all there. Now we are going to come in a few moments here to something where he's speaking to the Jews. But right now, this is a message to us. It's a message to us today. Now, notice the eleventh verse for just a moment. He says:

"has any nation ever changed its gods (gods that [were] no gods)? [because they were idols. or worshiping the sun. or something like that, that is not a god, but a creation of the true God. No, no heathen nation, no pagan nation ever did] But [God says] my people have changed their Glory for a useless thing!...my people have done double wrong..." (Jeremiah 2:11,13 Moffatt)

And today God's people are worshiping a counterfeit thinking they are worshiping the true God. God have mercy on us and help us to open our eyes. And to get our minds open to the truth. We've been just so drugged. You know all nations, all our western nations have been made drunk, spiritually drunk, on a false wine that is emanated out of a spiritual Babylon, that succeeded the Babylon that conquered ancient Judah.

That Babylon conquered Judah, physically, back before Christ. That Babylon took the Jewish people physical captives. But the modern counterpart, the spiritual Babylon, called in your Bible and in the prophecies, the daughter of that Babylon. Yes, and a religious Babylon. And Babylon means confusion. That modern Babylon, my friends, has made all of this western world spiritually drunk, on the false wine of her fornication. That's what your Bible says. It's either so, or else God Almighty is a liar, or the Bible isn't true, or isn't telling the truth. Because it is in your Bible - "Thus saith the Eternal...". That's the Word of God, that's not my word. That Word is true.

Now then, when a man is physically drunk, everything is blurred in front of his eyes. Sort of out of focus, he cannot see things sharply and clearly. And he will think that one thing is something else altogether. And when you are spiritually drunk, you can't see spiritual truth clearly. It is all out of focus. You think it is just something else instead of what it is. You are totally deceived, and my friends, that has happen to us.

But of course, we have grown up from little children in this world believing what we have been taught. We are so steeped in these things and we're so drunk on them; that – well it is pretty hard sometimes to awaken a drunk man. I guess there is not much of anyway, until he sobers up, that you can sharpen the focus of his eyes, and cause him to see clearly. And perhaps some of you are in the same boat. Well, God help you to pray that He'll open your eyes. Now He says here;

"[Israel is] a defenceless serf [verse fourteen], a home-born slave..." (Jeremiah 2:14 Moffatt)

"Is Israel a defenceless serf, ...that he should be plundered, and his towns laid waste?" (Jeremiah 2:14 Moffatt)

Many other prophecies, why prophecies in Ezekiel for instance, and other places, and other places here in Jeremiah, show that our towns, not only the big cities, but the towns, are going to be laid waste. My friends, here are prophecies pertaining to your town where you live - your children, and your grandchildren coming along. You'd better be concerned, my friends. These things are going to strike. These things are real!

Why are there not more voices shouting this warning to you, I don't know. I do know, though, when I look to see how God has dealt with humanity, and how God has carried on His program and His plan through the ages, that usually there has never been more than one man that God could use to warn the people of what was coming. He just sent one man over to Nineveh to warn them, Jonah. He has often sent one man. Why shouldn't there be thousands? God help us, I don't know, but that's God's way. It's the way it's always been, and God apparently has not changed. You'd better heed the warning.

Baal Worship Pretends to be Christian (PLAY FROM 15:29)

Well now then, for instance turn on next, if you will to verses twenty-two and twenty-three again – just skimming over the ground we have covered. He says to our people today:

"You may wash yourselves with lye and plenty [of] soap, but I see your sin of deepest dye..." (Jeremiah 2:22 Moffatt)

In other words we try to camouflage it. We say that we're not sinning. "Why our lands is full of churches, we believe in Christ." so we say. We go through a form and ceremony, and a ritual of religion, once a week on Sunday, don't we? Well we pride ourselves, we are good Christians. Yes, we wash ourselves with lye, spiritual lye and plenty of soap. Sometimes it's not 'l-y-e', sometimes it's 'l-i-e', and there is quite a difference. God says:

"...I see your sin of...deepest dye, says the Lord Eternal. How dare you say, 'I am not stained, I have not sought the Baals'? ..." (Jeremiah 2:22-23 Moffatt)

I want to tell you that our America, our beloved America is filled with Baal worship in it's religion. Many of you people have been, well as I say you're spiritually rather bleary-eyed and you don't see it. Oh you're, you're sincere. You don't understand it. You have been induced to swallow hook, line, and sinker a counterfeit. It looks so real, doesn't it? Let me tell you you need to check up, my friends.

Well, now then coming down a little lower, He says here that our people have turned our backs on Him and yet, when trouble comes we cry and shout out to God "Arise and save us." Isn't that just the way we do? That's the way ancient Israel did. Well, we must be Israel, we do the same way today. You do as an individual, most of you. When everything is going fine, and you're in good health, and you're prosperous, and everything is going serenely, and nicely for you, well you haven't any time for God. Now have you? Well, some of you have, most of you haven't. No, you're too busy with other things. But when you're in real trouble, when you're really scared stiff by what's going to happen, then most of you cry out to God for help. Then coming to verse 35 now:

"Yet you say [God says], 'I am innocent; surely [God's] anger is over.' [God says] I will condemn you for saying, 'I have not sinned.'" (Jeremiah 2:35 Moffatt)

We're good Christians there's nothing wrong with us. You can say that all you want, my friends, God allows you to. God's going to allow it. You can get angry at me for telling you, just as people always did get angry at God's prophets and God's ministers. But I'm giving you the Word of God and I'm giving it to you on His authority. And I say to you, by the authority of Jesus Christ, you'd better open your ears and open your minds. Because God is not mocked, and you're dealing with God, not just with me. He says:

"Why do you cheapen yourself by shifting your course? You will find Egypt fail you, as Assyria did;" (Jeremiah 2:36 Moffatt)

Now, and there, we are going to find that Germany, and Japan, and Western, or Central Europe at least, are going to fail us. Always making allies of other nations, always depending on them. Relying on them, relying on physical power, and our own armed might! Not relying on our God!

Oh yes, we make mention of our God in our prayers, just as God says through, I think that's Hosea - is it not - it's either Hosea or Amos. But, not in sincerity or in truth. Not with our hearts really into it. Why, we just don't know how to pray. We don't know how to put our hearts in our prayers. We are not in earnest. That's why when adversity and trouble comes and you scream out to God, well most of you are so out of prayer, and out of the custom of prayer, and so out of touch with God, and so far from Him, your prayer doesn't go as high as the ceiling of the room. Or as high as the tree-top, if you are outdoors.

You know God doesn't even hear you, until you repent and get your heart right. And some people, they rather show whether they are in practice of praying or not. Well, I think if I were an actor and were going to do it, and I wanted it to be right and to be real, I believe that I'd really give my heart to God, and I'd spend a lot of time in prayer. I'd pray to Him at least an hour a day. And be better, if you are going to have good acting, to do two or three. But then I'd hate to act out a prayer. As a matter of fact, I just wouldn't do it in the first place. I'd want it to be real, I will tell you that.

Well, here we are depending on every material thing, and material human actual enemies, and supposing that their our allies. And making alliances with them instead of depending on God. Oh, we claim we depend on God, yes I know, but in actual fact, you know we don't.

"...for the Eternal has rejected those you rely on, and nothing will you gain by them." (Jeremiah 2:37 Moffatt)

Now that is the Word of God, and He says we're not going to gain anything by these allies that we're depending on. You watch it happen, my friends. Now that's prophecy, that is the Word of God. We didn't gain anything by making an ally out of Russia, now did we? Just look into past history. You see if we are going to gain anything by trying to build up a United States of Europe. You see if we are not building a Frankenstein that is going to turn on us and destroy us. Most of you will live to see it. You'll remember that I told you, and that I spoke by the authority of Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Harlotry (PLAY FROM 21:25)

Now coming to the third chapter of Jeremiah:

"If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man's wife, will he return to her? [Well they weren't allowed to, you know, when Jeremiah wrote under the Levitical priesthood, and in the Mosaic Law, back in the time when they were going by some of God's laws] Would not the land be greatly polluted? [that is if he did] You have played the harlot with many lovers..." (Jeremiah 3:1 RSV)

Now that's speaking of our nation. And He is speaking here of spiritual harlotry, playing a harlot with many lovers, in other words, allies. We are playing a harlot, when we should depend on God! When we should consider that we are married to Him. He is our husband, and a husband is the protector of the wife. And we are in the position of being the wife. Israel is married to God. We should rely on our Saviour, He is our protector, He is our husband! But no, we make an alliance with other nations, and we rely on them. And we make lovers out of them, instead of loving God.

"...Thou shalt love the [Eternal] thy God with all your mind and heart, and soul and strength. That's the first and great commandment." (Matthew 22:37-38 paraphrased)

We violate that as a nation. Now I don't think we realize we are doing it – I don't think we do at all. I think we sincerely think - we've just kidded ourselves into thinking - we've been deceived into believing that we are really relying on God.

But then you know, we think that God is sort of a myth, and He's far off. Maybe He is not real? And maybe He couldn't really help us? So we must depend on something that is real. We must depend on something that we can see. And so now we are so afraid of Russia, that the United States government feels that it must take a, what we call a 'calculated risk', you know, and try to build up Germany, and Central Europe against Russia. All right you'll see what we are building. And you are not going to have to wait more than fifteen years to see it, and I don't think you'll wait that long.

"...Would not that land be greatly polluted? You have played the harlot with many lovers [that is our allies]; and would you return to me? says the Lord [Eternal. Verse three] Therefore the showers have been withheld...the spring rain has not come; yet you have a harlot's brow, you refuse to be ashamed." (Jeremiah 3:1,3 RSV)

Are we ashamed because we are doing these things? No why, we, we think it is alright. We've gotten into a form of paganism. We label it with Christian names, and we have been deceived into calling a lot of pagan things Christianity. Listen, God says here:

"...the showers have been withheld and the spring rain has not come..." (Jeremiah 3:3 RSV)

Do you know that the weather is just absolutely shaking with convulsions, because of what man is doing to God's earth? And even the elements of the weather, we've never know weather such we are getting into now. They are having winters, such as they have never known before. Hot weather, hotter than ever before, where it should be cool. Cold weather where it should be warm. The weather is topsy-turvy.

"Have you not just now called to me [says God], 'My father, thou art the friend of my youth - will he be angry for ever, will he be indignant to the end?' Behold, you have spoken, but you have done all the evil that you could [says God]." (Jeremiah 3:4-5 RSV)

We pray to Him, but we do evil. You do as an individual, most of you. When everything is going fine, and you're in good health and you're prosperous, and everything is going serenely, and nicely for you, well you haven't anytime for God – now have you? Well, some of you have, most of you haven't. No, you're too busy with other things. Now, let's continue on there with the sixth verse, this third chapter:

"The [Eternal] said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king [that is He said to Jeremiah], Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? ..." (Jeremiah 3:6 KJV)

And here it says that she has actually justified herself more than her treacherous sister Judah. But I see time is up, I've got to stop right there. It shows the two nations, Israel and Judah, and what they have done. And He goes on here specifically to say many things that are going to happen in your town and in our America.

Booklet Links (PLAY FROM 26:13)

Now listen; if you are ready to really repent of your disobedience to God, to His spiritual law. If you are now ready to surrender your will to God, and you want to become one of His children. If you are now ready to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour in real living faith, and the life of obedience. Then by all means, you should write immediately right now before you do another thing, for our special booklet on 'Water Baptism,' because the next step that God commands you to take is baptism. But here again, the many are all mixed up, confused, deceived. Now this booklet on 'Water Baptism,' will make it all clear. You can check with your own Bible and it will become clear. Now to delay getting this booklet might mean your eternity. It is the most important thing in your life right now.

And listen, you'd better also ask for the booklet on 'Faith For Salvation?' That's another booklet 'Faith For Salvation?' Now just for your own peace of mind, I advise you to send in and get this booklet and read it and then read your own Bible. This book will open your eyes. This little booklet 'What Kind of Faith?' There is no charge for it. Request the booklet on 'Water Baptism,' and the booklet on 'Faith For Salvation?'

So until next time, this is Herbert W Armstrong saying, "Goodbye friends."