PT Jan-67 - Herbert W. Armstrong Library and Archives
PT Jan-67 - Herbert W. Armstrong Library and Archives
PT Jan-67 - Herbert W. Armstrong Library and Archives
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28<br />
The PLAIN TRUTH<br />
<strong>Jan</strong>uary, 19<strong>67</strong><br />
strong enough to fulfi ll this need.<br />
Where the sting-of-the-bee might work<br />
as deterrent for France alone, it certainly<br />
is no deterrent for the whole of<br />
Europe. The onlv solution to this<br />
would be the crcatlon of a nuclear force<br />
something on a par with that of Russia<br />
or the United States. But France has<br />
neither the money, the technical ability<br />
nor the time to create such a force on<br />
her own. This could be produced only<br />
through the combined efforts of the<br />
strong industrial nations of Western<br />
Europe. France is able to provideas<br />
Strauss has suggested - a nucleus<br />
on which to bui ld. She has full<br />
Aedged rocket- <strong>and</strong> bomb-testing facilities<br />
already in operation as well as the<br />
plant for producing uraniwn 235 in<br />
abunda'nce.<br />
By pooling their resources, a 'credible<br />
independent European force could<br />
quickly be developed.<br />
Add to this the fact that right 1I0W<br />
Italy's power reactors are producing<br />
enough plutonium to make 132 atom<br />
bombs per year. Belgium's large power<br />
reactor produces enough plutonium fo r<br />
56 bOmbs per year. And by 1968 West<br />
Germany will have atomic reactors in<br />
operation capable of producing nearly<br />
200 bombs annually! Added up, this<br />
comes to a staggering 388 atom ic<br />
bombs per year ill addition to what<br />
France is able to produce.<br />
Here is one of the instances where<br />
General de Gaulle will have to back<br />
down. He must come to terms with<br />
Germany if he hopes to achieve his<br />
cherished dream of Europe as a th ird<br />
force capable of arbitrating the world's<br />
problems.<br />
Ir Won't Last<br />
How LONG will this new United<br />
Europe - the seventh <strong>and</strong> final resu r<br />
rection of the "Holy Roman Empire"<br />
last? Only a VERY SHORT TIME. You<br />
will find it a.lso described in Daniel 2,<br />
symbolized by the "ten toes" of the<br />
gigantic metallic image. It is all described<br />
in our free booklet, ltv ho Is the<br />
Beast?<br />
This image represented the Gentile<br />
world governments beginning with<br />
Nebuchadnezzar's ChaJdean Empire ~<br />
the original "BABYLON " on down<br />
through the Persian, Greco-Macedonian,<br />
<strong>and</strong> Roman Empires, <strong>and</strong> fi nall y ending<br />
with the ten toes, picturing this coming<br />
res urrection of the Empire. All former<br />
empires are symbolized by solid metals.<br />
But the toes are a M IXTURE of iron <strong>and</strong><br />
clay. It is a mixture of strength <strong>and</strong><br />
weakness ~ some nations strong, others<br />
weak. As iron <strong>and</strong> clay wi ll not cleave<br />
together, these nations wi ll not cleave<br />
together.<br />
THE BIBLE ANSWERS<br />
T hey are shown fighting against<br />
CHRIST at His return. Since they will<br />
hold together as a great world power<br />
only a FEW YEARS, you may KNOW<br />
that the second coming of Jesus Christ<br />
is already NEAR! It may take only another<br />
5 or 6 years for this POLITICAL<br />
M ILI TARY unio n to form.<br />
IT IS ALREADY LATER THAN YOU<br />
THINK!<br />
}1ROM OUR READERS<br />
HERE are the Bible answers to<br />
questions which can be answered briefly in a short space. Send in your<br />
q"estions. While we cannot promise that all questions will find space<br />
for answer in this department, we shall try to answer all that are vital<br />
<strong>and</strong> in the general interest of our readers.<br />
• " Where did St. V alentine's<br />
D ay come from ? What should<br />
I tell our children about these<br />
customs ?"<br />
L. H.<br />
S CHOOLS are supposed to educate<br />
children. Yet how many are taught<br />
in school the surprising o ri gin of Valentine's<br />
Day?<br />
Centuries before Christ, the pagan<br />
Romans celebrated February 15 <strong>and</strong> the<br />
evening of February 14 as an idolatrous<br />
festival in honor of Luperrus, the<br />
"hunter of wolves." The Romans called<br />
their festival the "Lupercalia." The custom<br />
of exchanging valentines - where<br />
did that originate? You might have<br />
supposed it is a Christian custom.<br />
It is not!<br />
Exchanging valentines <strong>and</strong> all the<br />
other traditions in honor of Lupercusthe<br />
deified hero-hunter of Rome ~<br />
"have been h<strong>and</strong>ed down from the<br />
Roman fest iva l of the Lupercalia. celebrated<br />
in the f!1ont h of February, when<br />
names of young women were put into a<br />
box <strong>and</strong> drawn out by men as chance<br />
directed," admits the Encyclopedia<br />
Americana article, "St. Valentine's Day."<br />
But how did these traditions come<br />
to be labeled "Christian" - when they<br />
are, in fact, pagan ?<br />
W hen Emperor Constantine made<br />
Christianity the official religion of the<br />
Roman Empire, th ~re was some talk in<br />
church ci rcles of discarding this pagan<br />
free-far-all. But the Roman citizens<br />
wouldn't hear of it! So Constantine,<br />
master politician that he was, agreed<br />
that the holiday would continue, except<br />
for a few of the more grossly<br />
sensual observances.<br />
But how did this pagan festiva l ac-<br />
9uire the name of "St. Valentine's<br />
Day" ? W ho was the original "St. Valentine"?<br />
Why is the little naked Cupid<br />
of the pagan Romans so often associated<br />
today with February 14?<br />
Little children <strong>and</strong> young people still<br />
cut out hearts <strong>and</strong> send them on a day<br />
in honor of Lupercus the hunter of<br />
wolves - why' W hy have we supposed<br />
these pagan customs in honor of a false<br />
god are Christian? Read the surprising<br />
answers in our reprint article on "St.<br />
Valentine's Day." It's free. Write for it<br />
immed iately.