May 19, 2017 Brethren Letter
Dear Brethren,
I was reading this Plain Truth Personal from 1965 a few days ago, and thought I would send it to you as this week’s “Brethren Letter.” Please have a wonderful Sabbath!
Your Brother in Christ,
Gary Liebold
The Plain Truth
Personal from the Editor
February, 1965
AS WE WERE preparing our first full-color cover for this 31st anniversary issue, Sir Winston Churchill was suddenly stricken, past age 90, with a stroke.
Our art, photographic, and lay-out departments had completed work on the full-color cover we had planned. It was an ACTION photograph of an intramural basketball game in our beautiful new gymnasium on the Pasadena campus of Ambassador College.
Then Mr. Churchill was suddenly stricken, and the whole world kept eyes and ears to newscasts and telecasts of his condition as, day after day, he weakened and hope ebbed for his survival. Even though it meant some four days’ delay, it was decided to hold over the cover that had been prepared for a later number, and give you a color picture of Sir Winston on our very first full-color cover.
Mr. Churchill holds many historic distinctions in the world.
He is generally credited with the iron-willed, dogged-determination leadership that held up British morale in the second World War until the full power of the United States could be thrown in to save “democracy” from extinction.
He is the only Britisher who has ever been given the honor of addressing a joint session of the United States Congress. It was during this notable address that he spoke those words you’ve heard quoted so frequently on The WORLD TOMORROW broadcast, and read in so many articles in The PLAIN TRUTH, “There is a PURPOSE being worked out here below.”
He is the only foreigner who has been honored by the United States Congress by being tendered an HONORARY CITIZENSHIP in the United States.
Mr. Churchill has been the LAST of a breed of men who have been recognized as GREAT in the world. Herbert Hoover was such a man, but smaller men of opposing politics bespattered his public image by accusing him falsely of causing the great depression of 1929-36.
Theodore Roosevelt was such a man. He had that iron-willed fortitude that commanded the respect even of enemies. I saw him many times. I sat within ten or fifteen feet of him as he spoke at a banquet of Chicago business men. I stood directly in front of him as he gave a rear-platform address from a train during the presidential campaign of 1916.
President Wilson was running for re-election on the slogan: “He kept us out of war.” Mr. Wilson had been sending the Kaiser a number of notes, protesting the sinking of American ships by the German submarine campaign. But the Kaiser continued ignoring President Wilson’s notes, and sinking more and more ships. Of course this DID finally draw the United States into the war in 1917.
In this rear-platform speech, ex-President Theodore Roosevelt said: “I was President for seven and a half years. And had I been still in the White House when the German submarines began sinking our ships, I, too, should have sent the Kaiser a note — just ONE NOTE — and the Kaiser WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT I MEANT IT!”
“You see,” continued Mr. Roosevelt? “when I was President, I did send the Kaiser a note. A German battleship was steaming on Manila bay, aiming to take possession of the Philippines. I sent the Kaiser a note, demanding that he turn that battleship around and return it to Germany. The Kaiser didn’t know, then, that I meant it! So I sent one more note! Only this second note was not sent to the Kaiser. It was sent to Admiral Dewey, in command of the United States Pacific Fleet. It ordered Admiral Dewey to steam full speed with the entire Navy toward that German battleship, and either turn it back to Germany, or SINK IT! That was when the Kaiser learned that I MEANT IT!”
With the passing of Winston Churchill the world witnesses the passing of the LAST of human leaders with that kind of courage, strength of will, and power. There are only weaker men left.
The passing of Mr. Churchill marks even the ebbing of the twilight over Britain’s future. It is no longer GREAT Britain — it’s just Britain, now. Britain’s sun set with World War II, if not in the days preceding it. But now even the dim light of dusk has gone out. Perhaps the present Labour Prime Minister may be a stronger man in some respects than his predecessor, Sir Douglas-Home — but if he, as a leader, possesses a shade more power, it is aimed in the wrong direction. And when power is used in the wrong direction, the greater the power, the greater the danger.
Look at the “little” men heading the governments of the world today! Opportunists, “wheeler-dealers,” or misguided men lacking in vision, a sense of true values, or wisdom.
Although Satan is revealed to be, in the Bible, the god of this world — and this world is essentially SATAN’S world, not God’s — yet the ETERNAL GOD IS working out, as Mr. Churchill said, His PURPOSE here below. Satan can do only what God allows.
God, after all, is RULER OF THE UNIVERSE. And God does, when necessary to the working out of His PURPOSE, intervene in this world’s affairs.
In so doing, God has many times used unconverted mortal MEN for certain crises. Undoubtedly Sir Winston Churchill is a man whom the Almighty God directly USED, especially during the second World War. It suited God’s Purpose to give Britain and America this ONE MORE CHANCE before letting our peoples be PUNISHED for their national sins — for their rejection of HIM, and their reliance, instead, on foreign allies and the arm of flesh. Had it not been for Winston Churchill, Britain probably would have lost the war before America was plunged into it.
It was Churchill’s courage and determination which bolstered up the morale of the British people. Actually his speeches IN AMERICA did far more than most Americans realized to spur America on in the war.
God raised up Pharaoh of old, to serve God’s PURPOSE (Rom. 9:17). God raised up George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin, for their part in making the United States a separate independent nation, and in presenting that nation during its infancy. Yet they were not men who truly KNEW God. They were strong, stable, outstanding men of the world, but they were not truly converted, begotten children of God, filled with His Holy Spirit.
God raised up and used Abraham Lincoln to preserve the United States from division and possible extinction. Undoubtedly God used such men as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower and General MacArthur to fulfill GOD’S purpose in the result of World War II. And just as surely God raised up and used Sir Winston Churchill in the fulfillment of GOD’S PURPOSE. But this does not mean that these men were the called, chosen MINISTERS of Jesus Christ, or even that they were Spirit-begotten, Spirit-filled SAINTS of God. They have been natural, carnal men of this world — each with his particular outstanding talents or abilities which God chose to USE for His purpose.
Regardless of whether such men are truly converted Spirit-filled Christians — or the nominal professing Christians of this world — or even agnostics or unbelievers — God has caused them to serve His purpose in their time; they have been among the GREAT of the world, they have occupied high and important offices. And therefore it is right that we should accord them HONOR and RESPECT.
As I write, the flags on the Ambassador College campuses are flying at half-mast, as President Johnson has decreed, in honor of, and as a token of respect toward Sir Winston Churchill.
This world is an unhappy, mixed-up, misguided world. It can be no better than its leaders. A year ago, in this column, I gave you the record of the overthrow or toppling of government after government in this world just during the preceding year or two. It is appalling!
But could even men of the stature and strength of a Churchill SAVE THIS WORLD? THEY COULD NOT!
ONE THING is WRONG with this whole world!
The ONLY right and true Government capable of bringing peace, universal prosperity and well-being, and happiness, was long ago taken away. There WAS real peace, contentment, JOYFUL and abundant happiness here on earth once. But you and I never experienced it. It was long, long, long before we were born. The earth was ruled by GOD’S GOVERNMENT. I’ll try to have an article explaining that in the next month or two.
But even the GREATEST, the strongest, the BEST of human leaders — and surely Mr. Churchill was one of the best the world has had in our century — could not bring this chaotic world out of its troubles, or give us a peaceful, happy world.
World-famous scientists say the world’s only hope is a super world government. They are right. But there can be NO MAN-FORMED world government to rule the whole world — all nations. Only GOD
ALMIGHTY can save this world. And He soon is going to save it ! He is going to send Jesus Christ back to earth — this time as the SUPREME GOD, in all the divine POWER, and supernatural GLORY of the UNIVERSE-RULER.
Then those who have truly repented of transgressions of God’s government (their sins), have believed, been baptized and received God’s Holy Spirit — been begotten as children of GOD; who have OVERCOME, have grown in grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and endured — THEY shall be CHANGED from mortal to immortal, the dead saints shall arise IMmortal, entering into the KINGDOM OF GOD. This divine, glorified, all-powerful GOVERNMENT shall then RULE THE WORLD! With Jesus Christ its Head, as KING of kings, and LORD of lords, this Kingdom of BORN CHILDREN OF GOD shall RULE ALL NATIONS.
And then, and not until then, shall peace be brought to fruition!
Winston Churchill was one of the world’s great — perhaps the very LAST of its great.
But do you know what Jesus Christ said about John the Baptist?
He said: “Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding HE THAT IS LEAST in the Kingdom of heaven (Kingdom of God — Mark, Luke, and John) is greater than he.”
The very most humble person, regarded as of no consequence in the world, who repents, believes, obeys, receives and is led by God’s Spirit, grows spiritually and overcomes, will be far GREATER — and will possess MORE POWER, in the world tomorrow, than a man of Winston Churchill’s stature in this world!
The REAL POWER is yet to be REVEALED!
We may respect and honor men like Sir Winston Churchill. But never forget — the VERY LEAST who “makes the grade” into the Kingdom of God shall be far greater than the greatest of men who have ever lived in THIS evil world! Let’s get our balance! Let’s recognize the TRUE VALUES! Let’s put first things first! Let’s realize what really IS IMPORTANT — and the ONLY thing that is important is — being BORN into the KINGDOM OF GOD!