by Herbert W. Armstrong

I write, Friday noon, President Tito of Yugoslavia is at point of death. News reports say he has passed “point of no return.” His death will SPEED UP the prophesied resurrection of the medieval “Holy Roman Empire” in Europe.

Josip Broz Tito is just two months older than I. He would be 88 May 25.

Russian troops have been massing near the Yugoslav border recently. This is stirring excitement and concern in Europe and in Washington. President Carter recently had a private telephone conversation with Tito. He has promised military aid, in case of Soviet invasion. Military aid in this case evidently means sending military arms and supplies.

Now just what will happen?

The whole world stands poised, now, for major climactic events, as things move much more swiftly toward the grand CLIMAX AT THE CLOSE OF THE AGE. The world crisis DEEPENS week by week. News is happening MUCH FASTER now. God is NO LONGER HOLDING WORLD EVENTS BACK.

The furor President Tito’s eminency of death has caused in Europe and Washington means this: The Russian bear will stand poised, READY to invade Yugoslavia. It is vital and important to the USSR’s plans for world domination to take possession of Yugoslavia. But because of the reaction AGAINST a Soviet strike into Yugoslavia right on the heels of their intervention in Afghanistan, I think Moscow will NOT invade Yugoslavia immediately, but stand poised and READY, thus provoking a WAR OF NERVES!

But neither the Kremlin nor the Administration in Washington remotely suspect what actually will happen.

The Red Army threat will SPEED UP even faster the plans now going on secretly between certain heads in Europe and the Vatican, to bring back to life the so-called HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, with the Pope riding “the Beast.”

The Russian troops rushed into Afghanistan, the threat of a Red army invasion of Iran “to settle the confusion there,” the threat of massed forces on the borders of Western Europe, all combine to arouse leaders in Europe – especially West Germany, France and Italy – to the point almost of consternation. They must move and they must now move FAST!

There will now be an effort to bring Yugoslavia into the Holy Roman Empire alliance! There will be strong pressure from the Vatican, in view of the Pope’s visit to his native Poland, to bring Poland into the new United States of Europe. If Yugoslavia and Poland go in, then expect at least Rumania also to go in.

Prophecy says there will be TEN NATIONS (or groups of nations such as the Benelux), but it does not say WHICH nations. The WHICH nations is speculation, but current rapid-fire news happenings do give us significant clues.

Yugoslavia is a country made up of three former small nations, each with its own language. At the San Francisco Conference, summer of 1945, where the Charter for the UNITED NATIONS was drawn up, I had a long private interview with a former Prime Minister of one of these countries. He told me of how the new communist government took farms and businesses away from owners – the government suddenly owned EVERYTHING.

TIME IS NOW SHORT and rapidly GROWING SHORTER! We need to be sure GOD’S CHURCH IS 100% BACK ON THE TRACK, and READY for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to RULE ALL NATIONS –and bring PEACE, PROSPERITY, and ETERNAL SALVATION TO ALL NATIONS! Keep your congregations alert. We are NOT YET 100% back on the track of our GOD – although Christ has made tremendous progress the past year and a half in getting us back. Let’s NOW renew our vigor, the intensity and earnestness of our prayers, our UNITED spirit of TOGETHERNESS! GOD IS WITH US!