plain truth 1977 (prelim no 07) jul_w

7/28/2019 Plain Truth 1977 (Prelim No 07) Jul_w

1/48


2/48

Editor: GARNERTEDARMSTRONG

The Plain Truth - SUPPORTED BYYOUR CONTRIBUTIONSThe Plain Truth has no subscript ion or newsstandprice. It is supported through contribut ions from ourreaders and those who have chosen, voluntarily,tobecome co-workers with us in this worldwide work.The Pfain Truth is nonprofit, accepts no commercialadvertising, and has nothing to sell. Contributions aregratefully welcomed and are tax-deductiblein the U.S.Those who can are encouraged to add the ir financialsupport in the spiritof helping to make ThePlain Truthavailable. without price, to o th ers. ' Cont ributionssho uld be sent to The Plain Truth , Pasadena,CA 91123 or to one 0/ our ottices nearest you (seeadd resses below) .

Assistant to th e Editor: RobertL KuhnPublishing .Consultant: Arthur A. Ferdigsenior Editors: C. WayneCole. DavidJon Hill. RaymondF. McNair , Roderick C. Meredith

Edltor-In-Chlef: HERBERTW. ARMSTRONG2

612

July 1977a mag a z ;ne 0 fu n de r 5 to n d in g

Vol. XLII, NO.7

A Lit tle Exercise Could Mean"a Li fe time of Heal th!Part 3: Was the Resurrection a Hoax?

Part I: The Plain Truth About HealingWhat Is Uppermost in God's Mind?

Canal Zone Handover? America's Strategic Surrender

ARTICLES

Associate Publishers: Stanley R Rader, RobertL Kuhn

Art Director: AllenMerager

ExecutiveVIce-President and Co-Publlsher:GARNERTEDARMSTRONG

International Editions: Dutch Language : Jesse Korver;French: Dibar K. Apartian; German: Gotmard Behnisch;Great Britain: Peter Butler; Spanish: Kennelh V. Ryland

Founder, Presidentand Publisher:HERBERTW. ARMSTRONG

Director of Pastoral Admlnlstralton: RonaldL DartInternational Division: Leslie McCullough

News Editor: GeneH. Hogberg

Oftlces: Auckland. New Zealand: Robert Morton; Bonn,West Germany: Frank Schnee; St. Albans. England:Frank Brown; Burleigh Heads, Australia: Dean Wilson;Geneva, Switzerland: Bernard Andrist; Johannesburg, .South Africa: Robert Fahey; Manila, Philippines: ColinAdair; Utrecht. The Netherlands: Roy McCarthy; Van-couvet..B.C., Canada: C. Wayne Cole; Oslo. Norway:Stuart Powell

Graphics: Associate Art Director: Greg S. Smith; StaffArtists: Matthew Armstrong. Randall Cole. Ron Lepeska,W. Gary Richardson, Gene Tikasinqh, Mike Woodruff;Production and Quality Control:MonteWolvertonPhotography: Photo Services Director: Warren Watson;Staff: David Armstrong, Charles Buschmann, Ken Evans,Joyce Hedlund, Alfred HennigPhoto Files: Manager: Alan Leiter; Linda Lulkoski

News Research Statt: Janet Abbott, Jeff Calkins. Werner Jebens, Donald D. Schroeder, Marc Stahl. KeithStump

Business Manager: RaymondL Wright

Managing Editor: BfianW. Knowles

Circulation Manager: E. J. Martin; Siaff: Mark Armstrong, Gordon Muir, Boyd Leeson

Assistant Managing Editors: Dexter H. Faulkner. JohnR SchroederAssociate Edi tors: Lawson C. Briggs, Robert A.Ginskey, D. Paul Graunke. George Ritter, Richard H.5edliacikContributing Editors: David L Annen, Don Abraham,Charles V. Dorothy. Lester L Grabbe, Ray Kosanke,Robert C. Smith, Las StockerWomen 's Consultant Carole RitterEditorial Stan: Cheryl Graunke, Lesley Kalber, Linda'Martens. Barbara McClure. Ronald B. Nelson, SCOfRockhold. Janet Schroeder .Copy Editors: Ron Beideck, Peler Moore, Clayton SleepPublishing Coordinator:Roger G. Lippross

2723

28

20

l < 133343638

44 '

BESURETONOTIFYUSIMMEDIATELY of any change in your address.Please include your o ld mailing label and your new address.

South Afri ca, Mauritius and Malawi: P.O . Bo x 1060,Johannesburg, Republic ot South Atrica 2000Australia and Southeast Asia: GoP.O. Box 345, Sydney NSW2001,AustraliaNew Zealand and Pacific tstes: P.O . Box 2709, Auckland 1, NewZealandThePhilippines: P.O . Box 2603.Manila 2801West Indies: P. O. Box 6063. SanJuan. PuertoRico 00936Switzerland: Case Postale 10. 91, rue de la Servette, CH.1211.Geneva7 .Scandinavia:.Box 2513 Soli.Osto 2 Norway

ABOUT OUR COVERArticles featured this month include:" Pornography Is No Victimless Crime!"( "Garner Ted Armstrong Speaks Out!"-page 33) ;" A Little Exercise Could Mean a Lifetime ofHealth!" (page 16); part three of :Was theResurrection a Hoax?" (page 12); and"Warning! Tobacco Is Hazardous to Your Health".(page 23).

Update

TV Log

FEATURES

Do You Believe God?Reach to Infinity

Questions and Answers

In Brief

Personal from Herbert W..Armstrong

Worldwatch

College Graduates: How Do You Stack Up toElTlployer Expectations?

Part 6: A Tale of Two Prophets

'Garner Ted Armstrong Speaks Out!

.Warning! Tobacco Is Hazardous to Your Health

The Plain Tru/h is published monthly (except combined AugustSeptember and October-November issues) by Ambassador Publishing Company, Pasadena, California 91123. Ccpyrighf 1977 Ambassador College. All rights reserved. Second-classpostage paid at Pasadena. CA. and at additional mailing offices.PRINTEDIN U.S.A. AND ENGLAND.United States: P. O. Box 111, Pasadena,Calitornia 91123Canada: P.O. Box 44. StationA. Vancouver, B.C. V6C 2M2.Mexico: Institucion Ambassador. Apartado Postal 5-595. Mexico5. D.F.Colombia: Apartado Aereo 11430. Bogota 1. D.E.Uni ted Kingdom, Europ e, India, Africa: P. O. Box 111 ,St. A lbans, Herts.AL2 3TREnglandRhodesia: P.O . Box U.A.30. Union Ave.. Salisbury


3/48

Personal from...

Comments Inspired byMyOwnRecent Marriage-AfterTen Years a Widower

Iused to think that romance wassom.ething that thril led and propelled up to cloud nine onlyyouths from their late teens to theirlate twenties. Surely no person pastfifty could ever experience the wonderful, anticipatory, exotic happiness of real LOVE!I have learned better.Let me here quote a portion fromthe beginning of what I wrote inboth our ministerial Bulletin, readby our ministers all over the earth,and in The Worldwide News, read byabout 98 percent of the members ofthe Worldwide Church of God besides many other nonmember subscribers:"Brethren, my heart is filled tooverflowing with gratitude and loveto you for the overwhelming response of congratulations for mymarriage of three weeks ago today,here in our new 'away-from-homehome' in Tucson, Arizona."The cards and letters consist ofnot only congratulations, but showrejoicing in your own hearts andyour deep love for me, and nowexpress that same respect and lovefor my lovely new bride, Ramona."I spent one whole day until I wastired, mentally and physica lly, and'eye tired' wading through wholeboxes of hundreds upon hundredsof congratulatory cards and letters.It was one of the greatest demonstrations of your love, concern, loyalty and affection for your PastorGeneral and God's apostle that Ihave ever experienced."And I shall never be able tothank God enough for selecting her

and sending her to me and causingthe very real and deep love that hasgrown in each of us for the other.God knew the help I needed by myside to accomplish His Work for theremainder of my life- fo r both ofour lives- and He certainly choseand sent to me the loveliest and themost lovab le of the lovely."In a sense this has been our hon eymoon in our own new home together, yet it has been one of the

BUSIEST and HARDEST-WORKINGthree weeks of my life. The oneroom that is already completely furnished in our new home is mystudy-my office. I have been hardat work at the typewriter and on thetelephone with many of our topThe PLAIN TRUTH July 1977

people at the offices in Pasadenaand in other telephone conversations from other points in the world.By no means have I been out ofcontact-but in constant daily contact-with the Work."Our great Creator IS LOVE. He isthe giver of true LOVE. And can wereceive a greater gift-in this life, Imean? Of course, the gift of eternallife filled with divine love and joy

and peace and happiness foreverand ever is the greatest.I was married when I was in theyouthful age of romance-25. I hadleft offchurch attendance at 18. I wasnot religious, nor, for that matter,irreligious. I was full of ambition forsuccess with the full SELF-confidentbloom of youth. I had dated manygirls, most of them from what I considered fine families, old familiesthe best. I liked them all, but was inlovewith none-until that certain onecame along. Splendid, charming, cultured as they all were, she was different- superior-and this time it wasLOVE-not at first sight, but it blossomed rapidly after our firstmeeting,which was January 1,1 917.Of course , I was on that wonderful cloud nine. We were married onJuly 31 of that year. That happymarriage lasted fifty y ears, lacking3Yz months to the day.

Sure, the first flushes of romancechanged gradually into a less exciting but deeper and deeper loveand trust and loyalty. We foughtlife's battles together, and enjoyedits successes together. God used herin my conversion at age 35- inspurring me to an . intensive , indepth, night-and-day study of theBible that led to opening its meaning for me, giving me UNDERSTANDING, and the GIFT, through thepresence of God's Holy Spirit, ofETERNAL LIFE to come at the resurrection . She was cofounder with meof the "Philadelphia era" (Rev. 3:713) of the Church of God, foundedin A.D. 31 by Jesus Christ. She wascofounder of The Plain Truth. Sheworked with me in starting the radiobroadcast and throughout its rapidworldwide growth. She was cofounder of Ambassador College. We dideverything together. We were aTEAM. Our marriage lasted untildeath parted us, May 15, 1967.Then came ten LONELY YEARS,

but a worldwide Work had beenbuilt, and I had to keep driving onalone and lonely.I learned God meant what Hesaid when He said: "It is not goodthat the man should be alone. ""Dad," sa id my son Garner Ted(Continued on page 42)


4/48

by Herbert W. Armstrong

WhatIsU p p e r m o ~ tInGod'sMind?

What is most important-above all else- in themind of God right now?

DeS it make any difference toYOU what is IMPORTANT toGod-what is important to Himabove all else in your life? It should!For what is MOST IMPORTANT toHim IN YOUR LIFE will decide yourhappiness or unhappiness from hereon; your success or failure in theremainder of your life- and fa rmore-where and in what state youare going to spend your ETERNITY .For there ISa life after death.One passage in the New Testa-

2

ment spells it out for you . This samepa ssage s ummari ze s t he WHOLEGOSPEL-o r even, broadly, the ENTIRE BIBLE. I could preach every sermon for the rest of my life-eachone different-using this one passa ge as my text.

It is found in Acts 3: 19-21: aproclamation by the apostle Peter toa huge crowd gathered at theTemple after he had healed thecripple, well-known as being lamefrom birth ."REP ENT ye therefore ," he admonished, "and be converted, tha t yoursins may be blot ted ou t, when thetimes of refreshing shall come fromthe presence of the Lord ; and heshall send Jesus Christ, which beforewas preached unto yo u: whom theheavens must receive until the timesof RESTITUTION of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth ofall his holy prophets since the worldbegan."Now let's UNDERSTAND! Withouta real UNDERSTANDING of this passa ge by the inspired apostle Peter,

you cannot understand the PURPOSEof life : WHY you are on earth, WHYmankind was put here, what life isall about, wha t is man 's fantastic,incredible potential.When Peter said to his listeners,first , "REPENT," he meant CHANGE

ABOUT-FACE from the way they hadbeen living. There are just TWOprincipal or general WAYS or attitudes of life. One is the way of thisworld , which for brevity I call"GET." The other is God 's way,"GIVE." Satan's way is "GET"- thatis, vani ty, lust and greed, jealousyand envy, competit ion, strife ,violence and war , resentmentagainst others, resentment and rebellion agains t any autho ri ty overone.Peter meant they first must turn

FROM that way - that ATTITUDE ofSELF-centeredness- to GOD'S way of"G IVE," or LOVE, which is love firsttoward GOD with yielded OBEDIENCE, and then LOVE toward man ,which is outgoing CONCERN forthe good and welfare of fellowhumans.Satan's way is that of SIN. God'sway is that of the BASIC LAW of His

GOVERNMENT - the way of LOVE.And LOVE-divine love from God asHis gift through His Holy Spirit- is

The PLAIN TRUTH July 1977


5/48

th e fulfilling of God's law, obedience to His government.Jesus Christ came in the likenessof HUMAN FLESH. Though also d ivine, He was tempted in a ll pointsas we are and yet He had power toRESIST SIN; resist Satan's WAY of"GET." For man , the PENALTYof sinis DEATH. All have sinned - excep tChrist who , thou gh our di vin eMaker, was mad e flesh subject todeath - so that He was able by giving His life to pay the penalty forthe sins of all human ity who chooseto turn from and repent of sin, turnto God 's way, BELIEVE Christ, andthus be CHANGED-CONVERTEDtheir sins blotted out by Christ'sdeath .Notice that Peter did NOT saytheir sins would be blot ted out immedi ately upon this repentance. Belief alone in the atoning DE,ATH ofCh rist does not completely changeor conver t one . Th e ir sins had CUTTHEM OFF from contact with God ,who alone had ETERNAL LIFE to giveor impar t to them. But belief in thedeath of Christ, following rep enta nce, would REESTABLISH th eirCONTACT WITH GOD , who alone haseterna l life and final CONVERSION toGIVE.SO we humans are not finallySAVED'by the BLOOD of Christ; weare restored to contac t with God ,who has eterna l life to GIVE. ButWHEN does He give it? Not immediately a t the time of repentan ce andthe decision to CHANGE from Satan 's"GET" way of sin to God's way of"LOVE," but "when the tim es of refresh ing shall come from the presence of the Lord ; and HE SHALLSEND JESUS CHRIST".- tha t is, a tChrist's second coming as King ofkings to rule the world.But where is Jesus Christ NOW?At the right hand of God , on God's(H is Father's) throne in heaven.But WHEN will God send JesusChrist as King? The heavens havereceived Him, whe re He now is onHis Father's th rone as our HighPr iest , in te rceding for us until- letme rep eat , UNTIL- the time s ofrestitution of all thin gs (Ac ts 3:2 1).Did you ever look up the meaning of "RESTITUTION"? It means RESTORING so me t h ing th at h adpreviously existed , then was takenaway, then finally RESTORED onceThe PLAIN TRUTH July 1977

aga in. In Acts 3:21, " restitution" refers to the gove rnment ofGod!Now let me go back ju st a little. Isa id th e BLOOD o f Ch ris t - H isDEATH for us-does NOT finally SAVEus; rather it RESTORES our contactwith God the Father, who has eternall ife to give .No tice qu ickly and briefly in Romans 5:8: "But God commendethhis love toward us, in that, while wewere yet s inners, Christ died for us.Much more then, be ing now justified by his blood . . ." NOTICE! No t

"And he shall sendJesus Christ, which beforewas preached unto you:whom the heavens mustreceive until the timesof restitution of allthings, which God hathspoken by the mouth "of all his holy prophets .since the worldbegan."

"SAVED" by His blood. The word"justified" means our past sins havebeen forgiven because Christ paidthe penalty in our stead. Our pastSINS cut us off from God . Christ'sDEATH (in our stead, as our Maker)did not bestow upon us the GIFT ofeterna l life and final complete sa lvation , which only the Fa ther has to'give; rather, it RESTORES our CON-TACT with the Father , from whomour sins had cut us off.Continuing in Romans: "Muchmore then, be ing now JUSTIFIED byhis blood, we sha ll be saved fromwr ath thr ou gh him " - t ha t is ,through CHRIST. But HOW? "For if,when we were enemies, we were reconcil ed to God by the DEATH of hisSon , much more, being reconciled,we SHALL BE [notice: "SHALL BE" inthe FUTURE] saved by his li fe."Notice it! Justified ONLY by Hisblood , BUT SAVED by His LIFE-bythe resurrection!Now WHEN is the resurrection? Atthe time of Christ's COMING-a t " thetim es of restitution of a ll th ings.""A ll th ings" means (as translated by

Moffat t in Hebrews I) THE ENTIREUNIVERSE.What was once here, and takenaway? Th e government of God.Most people do not know that angels inh abited this ea r th before thefirst humans. When God first crea ted the earth , the ANGELS shoutedfor joy (Job 38:4-7). This earth wastheir "ESTATE," but they did notkeep it (Jude 6). Th e angels on earthSINNED (II Peter 2:4). Their kingover the earth was the super archang el LUCIFER (Isa. 14:12-15). Hewas PERFECT from his CREATION un-til iniq uity (lawlessness-b reakingthe law of God 's government, inwhich he ruled) was .fo und in him(Ezek. 28: 15). This REB ELLION of theANGELS removed the government ofGod from the earth.Lucifer's name was changed toSatan. He still rules thi s world (Eph.2:2; II Cor. 4:4) . Wh en Christ returns to rul e, Satan will be REMOVED(Rev. 20: 1-3). The government ofGod will be restored! .That restoration of God's government is the one grea t PURPOSE up_

permost in'God's mind.Jesus had to qu alify to replace. Satan as ruler , and RESTORE the government of God by overcomingSatan (Matt. 4: l-ll) . If WE alsoqu alify by overcoming Sat an , weshall sit WITH CHRIST on HIS throne,as He now sits on His Fa ther'sthrone (Rev . 2:26-27; 3:21-22).Next to .restoring the governmentof God on earth, the most important. th ing on God's mind at the minute 'is the great commission He has committed to me and this Church as myhelpers in announcing the restoringof God's gove rnme nt in the Kingdom of God in this very presentgeneration, a t Christ's coming. FORTHAT PURPOSE He raised up th isChurch of God through me. Is itimportant to you? 0

RECOMMENDED READINGRead the story of a unique group ofpeople - the Worldwide Church of God.It's a Church with a purpose, a missionthat's being actively fulfilled on a worldscale, It's a Church that is having aprofound, positive impact on thousandsof lives. Request the booklet, Tl7is Is theWorldwide Church of God, For yourfree copy, write to the address of ouroffice nearest you (see inside frontcover).3


6/48

Part 1THE

PLAIN TRUTHABOUT

Is the day of miracles past? Does the living God heal sickness and diseasetoday upon believing prayer? Or was healing performed only by Christand the original apostles? Did God raise up medical science for our day? What aboutmodern faith healers and public healing services?by Herbert W. Armstrong

YU live in a world that reliesprimarily on medical doctorsto treat illness. Most professing Christians today say: "Godraised up medical science for ourday. Jesus healed to prove He wasthe Messiah. But the day of miraclesis now past." Some think God hea lsthrough self-professed faith healers,and attend pub lic healing shows.Some believe in healing by one ofthe form s of "mental science"- thepower of mind over matter. Otherssay: "Well, I think God can heal- I Fit's His will. But how can we knowwhe ther it's His will?"

Yes, people say!But what does GODsay?Does he .revea l whe ther He stillheals, why He heals, how He heals,whether and when it is His will? Forthe answers we go to the Bible.Christ's Ministry Was DualLet's begin at the beginning. Actually, th ere are two beginnings, sofa r as the subject of healing is concerned-o ne in the New Testament,

4

with Christ ; the other in the OldTestament, with the people of ancien t Israel. We shall begin with theministry of Jesus. Later, many readers will be surprised to learn howmuch is recorded on the subjectthroughout the Old Testament.More th an nineteen hu ndr edyears ago- in A.D. 27-3 1-JesusChri st appeared on earth as a messenger bearing history's most importan t message from God to mankind .His mission was prophesied in Malachi, chapter 3, verse I. That messa ge ac tu al ly was a stupendousNEWS ANNOUNCEMENT. The newswas the most transcend ent GOODNEWS ! It was the GOSPEL (whichmeans "good news") of Jesus Christ.But Jesus' ministry was a dualministry. And a miraculous ministry.Jesu s came also healing the sickby the divine POWER of God. It wasnot the power of human mind overmatter. Few realize the exten t towhich healing and casting out demons were an integral part of Jesu s'

mini stry. Later, the apos tles proclaimed Hi s same messa ge andhealed the sick.What Happened to the Gospeland to HealingIt comes as an astounding shock tolearn tha t long before the end of thefirst century, the proclamation ofChr ist's gospel to the world and themini stry of physical healing ceased!But WHY?Christ's gospel was the gloriousmessianic anno uncement of th ecoming world-ruling KINGDOM OFGOD. It was the announcement ofthe wonderful WORLD TOMORROW !It was not a message of doom!-except for the doom of th is world'sevils, sufferings and unhappiness. Itwas a joyous announcement of coming world peace, universal happiness, an d we ll- bei ng! But t heleaders of the people in Judea misund erstood and resen ted both thatgood NEWS, and Jesus' MIRACLES.Jesus' miracles were public-b utthey weren't healing shows. He sim-

The PLAINTRUTH July 1977


7/48

ply healed the sick wherever Hecame to them or they came to Him.But of course the miracles attractedenormous' crowns. U any ' degmr rtrbelieve on Him. This alarmed thechief priests and the ruling Pharisees. It stirred them to violentpersecution. They totally misunderstood Jesus' message! His news announcement was that of the y et-tocome Kingdom of God, not - as theysupposed-o f the overthrow of theRoman government of their day.Th e Romans, then ruling theWeste rn world, avoided most of thedet ails of government administration in Judea by causing the Jews torule themselves at the lower levels.Th e Pharisaic rulers loved their position of authority. They viewedJesus as an anti-Roman agitatorproposing to overthrow the Romanrule. They feared being imprisonedas seditionists if they sided in any.way with Jesus. They plotted to killHim, and at God's set time Jesuswas crucified, making possibleman 's reconciliation with God.God miraculously raised Jesusfrom the dead , making possibleeternal life for human ity. On thefiftieth day (called Pentecost) afterHis resurrection, the 120 converts ofJesus, including the apostles, received the POWER of the Holy Spiritof God. In that power they proclaimed the good news of the Kingdom of God. In the same divinepower from God by which Christhealed, they healed the sick wherever they went.But, as with Jesus, so now withthe apostles: The miracles drew tremendous crowds. Without any pressured solicitations, thousands wereconverted and bapt ized. But soonthe persecution agai nst them multiplied. Two years after Jesus' resurrection, A.D. 33, Simon the Sorcerer(Acts 8), the Pater (father or Peter)of the Babylonian mystery religionin Samaria, after being rejected byPeter , appropria ted the name ofChrist and applied it to his Babylonian mystery ' religion, calling it"Christianity." Simon and his followers began systematic oppositionand persecution against the trueChurch of God, founded in A.D. 31by Jesus Christ. (How the Babylo-


nian mystery religion was movedinto Samaria in 718 B.C. is explained in II Kings 17:18-24.)Gentile and JewiSh OppositionThe ea rliest opposition agai nstChri st's Church was Jewish, opposing the acceptance of Jesus as theMessiah . Judaizers insisted on observing the temporary rituals of Mosaic law. For this reason the earlymin ist ry of the apostles put primeemphasis on the replacement of rituals by the Holy Spirit , and on theres urrec tion, in fall ibl e pr oof ofChrist's messiahship. The apostleswere personally wit h Jesus for threeand a half years before His crucifixion, and for forty days after His resurre ction- so they were eyewitnessesto the resurrection.After A.D. 33, as the work of thisSimon the Sorcerer spread, the opposition to the true Church becameGentile. The writings of Paul , aswell as I and II Peter, of James, of I,II and I II John, and Jude show theGentil e opposition was primarilya imed agai ns t the law of God .Simon appropriated the doctrine ofgrace from the teaching of th eapostles, but it was grace turn edinto license to disobey (Jude 4).They preached a false Jesus who,they said, did away with the basicspiritual law of God. Simon and hisfollowers preach ed a totally different gospel than the apostles-primarily tha t of their own Babylonianmystery religion, with grace andChrist's nam e added. Of course theygot i t to the Galati ans.To the Ga latians, Paul wrote: "Imarvel that ye so soon removedfrom him that called you into thegrace of Christ unto another gospel"(G al. 1:6). To the Corinthians, Paulwro te: "Fo r if he th at comethpreacheth another Jesus . . . or another gospel . . . " (II Cor. 11:4). Ofthese Simon Magus-type preachers,Paul wrote: "For such are falseapostles, deceitful workers, trans- 'forming themselves into the apostlesof Christ. And no marvel; for Satanhimself is transform ed into an angelof light. Th erefore it is no greatthing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness" (verses 13-15).

It was Satan-the former cherubLucifer (Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:1217)-who origina lly rebelled againstli n:- m T v'Y ' ~ d lMcaused its removal from the earth.Satan is th e god of th is world(II Cor . 4:4). He has his churchesand his mini sters. They oppose thelaw of God. The refore they opposethe KINGDOM of God, since it isgoverned by the laws of God. Theseapostles of Satan offered the worldan easier religion. Obedience wasunnecessary.Dark Age BeginsThe opposition of Simon's falsechurch finally snuffed out the proclaiming of the MESSAGE of theKINGDOM OF GOD. Before the endof the first century, the curtain wassystematically rung down on all records of true Church history.When the curt ain lifts, late in thesecond century, we behold a "Christianity" utterly unlike that of Christand His original apostles. Its doctrines, sacraments and customs werethose of the Babylonian mystery religion. It persecuted and martyredthose true Christians still holding tothe teachings and customs of Christand His apostles. Christ's doctrinesand customs were brand ed as "Jewish." The term "Jewish" became adirty word-a n epithet.The message God sent to mankind by Jesus Christ - the tru e gospel C h ri s t p r e a ched , t heannouncement of the coming KINGDOM OF GOD-was done away byexpediently calling THE CHURCH(Simon's) "t he kingdom of God."Some, later, reduced the KINGDOMOF GOD to an ethereal indescribablesomething "se t up in men's hearts."Thus, through manipulations of" the god of this world," Satan , bywhom ALL NATIONS HAVE BEEN DECEIVED (Rev . 12:9), the true GOSPELMESSAGE CHRIST BROUGHT was suppressed and not proclaimed to theworld afte r the first century! Andhealing the sick as a regular pract icehad ceased also.Thus the DUAL ministry of Christand the apostles was no part of wha tthe world has accepted as traditional Christianity.(Continued on page 41)

5


8/48

by Gene H. Hogberg

The United States is on the verge of concluding a new treatywithPanama which would relinquish its historic sovereign rights tothe Canal Zone. But would a "new relationship" with Panamawork? At stake is the security of not only America but much ofthe free world.

Canal Zone Handover?AMERICJ\:SSTRATEGICSURRENDER

high- level lake and gravity-fedlocks, remains one of the engineering marvels of the world, an enterprise once described as representing"the greatest liberty man has evertaken with nature."For years Panama has demandeda return of the Zone to its bisectedcountry-complete with the strategic

waterway-which has cost the American taxpayer a total investment ofnearly $7 billion. And as Panama'sdemands-backed by threats of violence-have grown stronger, America's resolve to hang on has grownweaker, to the point where she appears willing to give in altogether.Vital LifelineIt is difficult to conceive of a morestrategic single piece of real estateanywhere on earth than the CanalZone with its 50-mile-long freshwater link between the Atlantic andPacific Oceans. Approximately13,200 ships transited the Canal in1976, nearly three -fourths of themgoing to or coming from Americanports , carry ing one-sixth of U.S.ocean-borne commerce.While some of the newer supertankers are too big for the Canal's1,000- by 11O-foot locks, the vastmajori ty of the world's oceangoingvessels can easily navigate thewaterway, including all the newercontainer ships which have revolutionized the shipping industry.The economic impact of the closure of the Canal upon Americanindustry-should that ever occurwould range all the way from "seriously inflationary" to "catastrophic." With dependence on foreignoil rising nearer to the 50 percent mark , the United States- inthe interest of saving fuel alonecannot afford the prospect of stringing its shipping "around the Horn "of South America.The United States is by no mean sthe only beneficiary of the Canal,which has been called the "funnel ofworld commerce." To maritimepowers such as Japan, Norway, theUnitedKingdom andGreece, unhampered use of the waterway is essential.Without the Canal the Japanesewho transport one-third of their oceanic trade through it-could not effectively ship their goods to the EastCoast of the United States, or to

of a ten-mile strip across the CentralAmerican isthmus.Within the 547-square-mile territory, the United States has, since itscompletion in 1914, operated, maintained and defended the famousocean-to-ocean Panama Canal. Despite its age, the Canal, with its

Rpresentatives of the UnitedStates and Republic of Panamahave recently concluded another round of negotiations with theaim of producing a new treaty toreplace the 1903 pact under whichPanama granted the U.S. control"in perpetuity"-meaning forever-6 The PLAIN TRUTH July 1977


9/48

Brazil , where they have a giant market , or to Western Europe. The Japanese steel industry , in turn,depends upon shipment through theCanal for nearly all of its coal andcoke supplies.Writes Charles Maechling, Jr . inthe Winter 1977 issue of Orbis:"One can imagine the crippl ing effect ofa sudden closure on the Japanese economy. . . . This is not toment ion the adverse impact such aclosure would have on countries likeAustralia and New Zealand, whichhave crucial European and EastCoast markets."Closure, or even restricted use ofthe Canal, could be the death knellof Britain's shaky economy. Downthrough the years Britain, with herfar-flung merchant marine, has consistently been the second or thirdlargest user of the Canal. Each yearover 60 percent of British-regi steredshipping transits the Isthmus.Several Latin American nationsalso have a huge stake in the Canaloperation. The trade between thewest coast of South America and theGulf and East Coast of the UnitedStates passes almo st directly northsouth across the Panama Canalwater bridge.Thus, continued access to thewaterway for all nat ions and at reasonable rates-which the United

States has guaranteed for 63" yearsis an issue affecting virtu ally the entire world. Yet the American government has allowed itself to becontinually outmaneuvered by Panama into treating the Cana l problem as strictly an issue between theU.S. and Panama, or at the verymost, between the Uni ted Statesand Latin America as a whole.Washington has consistently failedto impress upon Panama that farmore is at stake than internal Panamanian politics.Key to Hemispheric DefenseMilitarily, the Canal is as vital asever to the defense of the UnitedStates and other cou ntries of theWestern Hemisphere. The waterwaygives the U. S. Navy remarkableflexibility in its strategic pla nning-afactor even more critical today withthe stress placed on economy of operations.With the exception of the big air-The PLAIN TRUTH July 1977

PANAMA '5 military dictato r, OmarTorrijo s, needs new Panama Cana ltreaty to shore up fal tering position.craft carriers, all of the Navy's vessels, including all submarines andmissile-firing craft, can take advantage of the Canal 's quick ocean-toocean shortcut. And for expeditingthe movement of huge tonnages ofmilitary cargo to far-flung warfronts, the Canal has proven its inestimable worth-as witnessed inWorld War II, Korea and Vietnam.While the Pentagon has given itsapproval to the State Department toseek a new treaty, it has done sovery reluctantly. Most of the topbrass hold grave reservations aboutpolitical control of the Zone passinginto Panama's hands.

One American congressman whois opposed to any fundamentalchanges in the operation of the vitalseaway expresses its importance inthe bluntest terms : "The PanamaCanal , with its protective frame ofthe Canal Zone, is a world waterwayabsolutely necessary fo r interoceanic commerce. . . . Its security isof global significance in the currentstruggle for world power, and itsloss would be a serious militaryblow against all nations of the entirefree world comparable .to defeat inwar."A "Model Treaty"?Even though public opinion in theUnited States is said to run three toone aga ins t relinqu ishing Americanrigh ts in the Canal Zone, the major-

ity of legislative membe rs in Wash in g t o n are not of th e samepersuasion . And the execu tive.bra nch of government, namely theState Department, has been negotiating off and on with Panama'srepresentatives for over 12 yearstrying to accommodate Panamaniandemands for a new treaty designed. to turn control of the Cana l over toPanama in stages-with intendedsafeguards for continued Americanaccess.The new Administration in Washington had hoped, in fact, to submita new trea ty for the required twothirds Senate approval by early

summer. However, obstacles onboth sides-said to be a hardeningposition on Panama's part and asteady chorus of opposition againsta new treaty in the U.S. Senate-areonce again threatening to forestallthe negotiations.On both sides, quite a bit of per sonal pride isinvolved. For Panama'sdictator, General OmarTorrijos,whoassumed power in a coup in 1968, anew treaty asserting Panamaniansovereignty over the Zone and itscanal would assure him a prominentniche in his country's history as theone who secured Panama's final "liberation." Without a new treat y, heclaims, he doesn' t know how he canrestrain Panama's left-wing studentsand the country's National Guardfrom marching en masse in anger toseize the Zone. In fact, he has said hemight even lead them .There is a term which normallydescribes such boasting. It's called"blackmail."For chief U.S . negotiatorEllsworth Bunker , a new treatyagreed to by both sides would cap a

quarter century of public service. Itis his hope that the new pact mightprovide, in his words, "a model forthe world to admire of how a smallnation and a large one can workpeacefully and profitably together."Such wording, of course, expresses a highly laudable goal, althou gh it is not quite accu rate infact. The United States and Panamahave worked for the most partpeacefu lly, and, certainly for bothsides, profitably, in the Canal enterprise ever since the first ship sai ledthrough in 19 14. The Canal hasgreatly benefited American com-

1


10/48

merce and industry, while Canalrevenues, dir ect and indirect, haveenab led the tiny Republic of Panama to achieve one of the higheststandards of living in all of LatinAmerica.But, it must be admitted, it is thereality of the American presence ona small strip of U.S.-owned territoryopera ting under Am erican law swh ich has rankled certain elementsin Pan ama almos t from the beginning of what, but for human nature,could have been a beautiful relationship .As one of the foremo st authoritieson the history of the Panama Canal,Dr. Donald M. Dozer, puts it soeloquently: "The very success of theUnited States in building and operating the Canal and in developingthe Cana l Zone, when contrastedwith th e co nditions of und er developmen t in the Republic ofPan ama, has filled Panam aniandemagogues with envy which hasdriven them to covet their neighbor'scana l and Canal Zone. There wouldbe no Canal problem today if thesepoliticians would follow the commandment : 'Thou shalt not covet thyneighbor's Cana l Zone, his cana l, oranyt hing that is thy neighbor's.' "Basic TermsThe broad outlines of a new treatywere established in an agreementreached three years ago by formerSecretary of State Henry Kissingerand Juan Antonio Tack, who wasth en Panama' s foreign minister.Th eir talks resulted in a jointly issued "statement of principles" to beincorporated in a new treaty.*Theessentia l points called for an early'Under the terms of the origina l 1903 HayBunau-Varilla treaty, still in force, Panamagranted to the United States " in perpetuity" astrip of territory crossing the Isthmus inwhich the United States could exercise "allthe rights, power and authority . . . which itwould possess and exercise if it were the sovereign of the territory . . . to the entire exclusion of the exercise by the Republ ic ofPanama of any such sovereign rights, poweror authority." For this grant of sovereignty"in perpetuity," the United States paid Panama the fu ll purchase price of $10,000,000and later indemnified the owners of the landby purchasing it from them, thus acquiringcomplete ownership of all the land in theCanal Zone. The phrase "i n perpetuity" isfound a total of seven times in the cessiontreaty.8

If the Canal becomesPanama's, the temptationwill be great for herpoliticians to milk thewaterway and its majorusers in order topay for misdirectedpolicies in other spheres.of Panama's economy.Many nations will suffer,not just theUnited States.

transfer of the Canal Zone to Panama and the setting of a date whenPanama would assume "tota l responsibility" for running the Canal.On the first issue-sovereigntyover the Zone- i t is believed the negotiators have agreed that the CanalZone itself would pass out of U.S.hands no later than three yea rs afterthe treaty is ratified. From the endof the thre e-year period until theend of the new treaty, possibly theyear 2000, Panama would also increase its operating responsibilitiesof the Canal itsel f " in partnership"with the United States. .

Other big issues yet unresolvedare the number and size of militarybases required by the U.S. for defense of the Canal during the newtreaty's period , as well as the legalstatus of the severa l thousand "Zonians"-American citizens living inthe Zone who, up until now, havebeen subject only to U.S. laws andregulations.Quite understand ably, morale

among the American workers andthe ir fam ilies in the Zone has sunkvery low lately as the negotiationshave dragged on and as the end toeffective U.S. control looms. Mostsee no future for themselves or theirfamilies. Key personnel needed tokeep the operation going- pilots,dredge and tugboat operators, engineers and machinists- are quittingat double the normal rate. Findingreplacements is proving to be almost impossible.Who will safely and efficiently operate the Canal if most of thetrained Americans leave? ThoughPanamanians now outnumber

Americans in Cana l Company jobs(about 11 ,000 to 4,000), it is doubtful whether Panama's tiny populat ion can supply enough sk illedmanpower to fill the gap.After 2000?Another serious question at the moment revolves around wha t rightsthe Un ited Stat es will be ab le toexe rcise beyond the w tr eatyper iodto ensure adequate Americanaccess to and defense of the Canal.Washington's negotiators havepressed for continued U.S. defenserights-perhaps in a separate statusof-forces treaty-well into the nextcentury.Panama insists, however, that theend of the treaty must write the finish to American responsibil ity ofany kind. For Wa shington's influence to linger on afterwards, herofficials say, would be a blow toPanama's pride-d ignidad., General Torrijos has proposedthat in the posttreaty period , guarantees of access to the Canal and itscontinued neutrality (faithfully ensu red to all nations by the U.S. 'forthe past 63 years) could be investedin the United Na tions instead! .But with the way the U.N. has beenacting lately, such a proposal is tan tamount, say some, to virtual assurance that " imperialist" Americawould someday be denied the use ofthe very waterway it bui lt and paidfor!Four years ago, in a special session of the U.N. Security Councilheld in Panama City, Panama completely won over the U.N. to its sidein the Canal dispute. Panamanianofficials, in a successful attempt togarner Third World support, arguedthat the Canal was their country's"greatest natural resource ."

Of course, the Can al is not a "natural resource" in the same sense as,say, petro leum or iron ore. It is aman-made project , constructed ' andpaid for totally by the taxpayers ofthe United States.With regard to the "greatest resource" ploy, Panama's politicianshave repeatedly made om inoussta tements to the effect that theywant to see Canal tolls rai sedsharply and that they are not goingto continue to " subsidize" theAmerican shipping industry.



11/48

Given Panama's current sad stateof affairs-an economy on the vergeof bankruptcy, unemployment at 15percent, and recent riots against increased food prices which nearlytoppled Tor ri jos- the temptationwill be great for her politicians tomilk the users of the waterway inorder to pay for misdirected policiesin other spheres of Panama's economy.Up until now, the global utilitywhich is the Canal has beenshielded from economic and political turmoil in Panama itself. Thiscomfort will cease when U.S. controlceases-and what a political footballthe Canal could become!U.s. Ignoring Geopolitical RealitiesCritics of a new treaty express gravedoubts that Panama would faithfully operate the Canal under reasonable rates and fair and equalterms for all as the United Stateshas under what Theodore Rooseveltcalled "a mandate of civilization."But this is only half the story. Thebiggest fear that opponents of a newtreaty have is this: What happens tothe Canal-what happens to Panama itself-after U.S. authority inthe Zone ceases following the threeyear period? For while Panama hasproven itself to be a David in relation to the American Goliath , inreality it is a small, weak, unstablenation, vulnerable to imperialistpredators. In possession of the Canal it would be a ripe plum indeed.A survey of the history of Panamanian politics is enough to confirm these fears. In its 74 years as anindependent state, Panama has written a remarkable record of politicalinstability. In fact, the present nineyear-old military government ofGeneral Torrijos is uncharacteristically long-lasting.Uncertainty over Panama's intentions and future political direction is compounded by the growingworldwide posture of the SovietUnion. The opportunistic Soviets

would undoubtedly be eager tomove into a dominant role inPanamanian affairs if the U.S.relinquished its authority in theZone.Increasingly over the last decadethe Soviets have made huge strategic gains at the expense of the West.The PLAIN TRUTH July 1977

Negotiations with Panamaover the future of theCanal have been carriedon in the spirit ofwishful thinking andwithout due regard to therealities ofinternational politics.Wresting the control ofthe world's strategicwaterways, includingthe Panama Canal,has long been a majorSoviet objective.

When Britain abandoned her"east-of-Suez" policy, the Kremlinmoved quickly to fill the vacuum. Indomino fashion , the U.S.S.R. hasacquired a string of bases and portand-supply facilities along the entirecircumference of postcolonial Africa-from Algeria in the north toGuinea, Cape Verde, Nigeria andAngola in the west, to Mozambique,Madagascar and Somalia in theeast.Reds in power at Africa's southern tip , a key Soviet objective,would mean a Communist stranglehold on one of the free world'smost vital sea-lanes-the CapeRoute-the critical water avenueover which sail over 24,000 ships ayear, mostly tankers , transportingvirtually all of Western Europe's(and much ofAmerica's) oil.Thus it should come as no surprise that the prospects of Kremlinmeddling on the Isthmus are looming greater. And with the UnitedStates effectively removed from thescene, it should be obvious thatthere is relatively little an unstableand vulnerable Panama , " protected" by its W,OOO-strong National Guard, could do to thwartany overt or covert Soviet move.As eminent Panama Canal authority Dr. Donald M. Dozer states :"With the removal of the UnitedStates' authority, Panama will againbecome a focus of international rivairy. " Professor Dozer fur therstresses that wresting the control ofthe world's strategic waterways, "including the United States' Isthmian

Canal," has long been a major Soviet objective. ."The current negotiations," continues this expert , "have been carried on in the spirit of wishfulthinking and without due regard tothe realities of international politics.The critical situation of the UnitedStates in the Canal Zone , producedlargely by Washington policymakers , is not a mere local questionbetween the United States and Panama. It is part of a global powerstruggle directly related to the security of the United States and theentire Western Hemisphere."Upon the defense of the CanalZone by the United States dependsthe fate of the Canal. Upon the fateof the Canal depend the safety ofworld sea-lanes and the fate of theentire Caribbean-Gulf area . Uponthese factors depend the survival ofthe United States as a free and independent nation and the safety andwelfare of the American conti-. nents."Without the Zone, No SecurityA key question America's negotiators should be asking is: What ifPanama, under Communist pressure or not, should renege on theterms of a new treaty and threatento expel the U.S. from further partnership in the Canal operation?What if, furthermore, revolutionarydisorders erupt in Panama andthreaten the Canal itself? Despite an"ironclad" defense treaty, Washington might be accused of international aggression against Panamaif it intervened militarily-since thetroops would be fighting Panamanians on Panamanian soil, theCanal and the area around it nolonger being U.S. property.That is why the " protectiveframework" of the Zone is as important as the Canal itself. Without theCanal Zone the U.S. has no futureguaranteed access to the Canal, savePanama's good faith! The Canalwould become just like any othercommercial enterprise held hostageby a dictator's whim to the threat oftotal nationalization. There is simply no way a new treaty can possibly provide the protection affordedby the 1903accord!There are those who claim thatthe Canal is "indefensible" and that

9


12/48

Ceding Territory-ADangerous Precedentthe U.S. should turn it over to Panama before she riots again andsomeone "bombs a lock" or commits some other aggressive act.Those who know better realize sucharguments are spurious and alarmist. It is precisely the fact that the Zoneis in U.S. hands which makes theCanal defensible. The U.S. has beenable so far, by operating within thecushion of the Zone , to defend thewaterway through two world wars,as well as against violence directedat it from Panama itself, includingthe riots of January 1964. Even during the three days of chaos 13 yearsago, shipping was able to proceedunaffected precisely because the"fallback" area of the Zone kepttrouble from interrupting commerce.With the Zone passing out ofexistence and its area incorporatedinto Panama, this defensive cushionwould be lost. Trouble could extendright up to the water's edge and theCanal indeed would become indefensible , no matter what militarypresence the U.S. might still retainunder a new treaty.Ugly VisionBecause of lack of foresight onAmerica's part, one can easily envision a time when a radicalized Panama , under Soviet or even UnitedNa tions Third World pressure ,could adopt a "selective policy" ofwho could use the Canal and whocouldn't, such as: No Americanships. No U.S. vessels under foreignflags (such as Liberia). No ships ofany nation trading with any countryon which the U.N. should decide toslap an embargo. The ships of leftistLatin countries would be permittedto go through, but not those of Chileor Brazil-or even those of Japan orBritairi going to any of the abovecountries.And-irony of ironies-we couldeven see engineers, pilots and technicians from the Communist worldmanning the Canal jobs vacated byAmericans!What a mess it would be. Andwho would get the blame? TheUnited States-for making it all possible by giving up its responsibility.America would indeed be the scornof many nations-and for good reason.

10

"The claim . that changed conditions justify the renegotiation ofold treaties involving cessions ofterritory is a petard charged withdynamite for the future of theUnited States."State Department officials seektojustify the abrogationof the treatyof 1903 with Panama with the pleathat that t reaty was concluded 72years ago and that in the meantimeconditions have changed. Will theyalso insist as a corollary that theolder the treaty of cession, thegreater is the need for renegotiatingit? Is a period of 72 years the minimal or the maximal terminal datefor territorial cessions? In the early1950s Soviet Russia addressed ademand to the State Department toshow proofof ownership of Alaska,which the United States had purchased from Russia some 85 yearsbefore. It may well be that only thelater admission of the territoryAlaska into the Union as a stateforestalled further demands along

. Few realize that America's obligations regarding the Canal go backeven before 1903. Specifically, theU.S. has an obligation under theHay-Pa uncefote Treaty of 1901(with Great Britain) to keep anyIsthmian canal "free and open tothe vessels of commerce and of warof all nations," on terms of entireequality and without discriminationas to "conditions and charges oftraffic." The Republic of Panamawas not a party to this treaty commitment (and in fact, was not even asepa ra te nation at the time).The United States also has a separate treaty commitment with Colombia guaranteeing that nation,the former sovereign of Panama,certain special rights in the use ofthe Canal.Replacing the 1903 treaty in noway abrogates these other solemnagreements! The maritime powersof the world , moreover, have acquired rights of use of America's

this line for the time being ."Or will the State Depar tmentinsist upon the renegotiation of the

Gadsden purchase and return allof southern Arizona and southernNew Mexico to Mexico becausethe Gadsden purchase treaty wasconcluded 122 years ago, and sincethen conditions have changed?And what about the Florida purchase treaty, which is 158 yearsold , and the Louisiana purchasewhich occurred 172 years ago? Asa matter of fact , the Panama Canalis not operated solely under the1903 treaty but under tha t treatyas modified and reaffirmed in thetreaties of 1936and 1955." By scrapping these lattertreaties our negotiators are establishing a precedent for the dismemberment of th e nationalterritory."-Donald M. Dozer, professor ofL at in A me ri ca n H is tor y and Inter-American Relations, University ofCalifornia, Santa Barbara.

Canal "by prescription" (that is,continual, dependable usage overmany years). Washington is thus onthe verge of abandoning a graveworldwide responsibility it had onceassumed-and it, not Panama, willpay very dearly for th e consequence s should a ny t h in g gowrong.Yielding to BlackmailDown through the years, America'sofficials have consistently whittledaway at their nation's sovereign position in the Zone . The treaties of1936 and 1955 each relinquishedelements of the 1903 treaty, thoughleaving the fundamental sovereignty issue intact. But presidentialdecisions in the 1960s allowing theflying of the Panamanian flag at selec ted points in the Zone seriouslyand needlessly compromised America's sovereign position.Explains Professor Dozer: "Everynew concession by the United States



13/48

to con ti n ui ng dem ands of Panamanians has been met by accelerating dem and s, bl ackm ai l , a ndtemper tantrums on the ir part. Oneconcession has lead to another concession, and our relations with Panama for the last 20 yea rs havesimply been a succession of concessions on our part. It's as if thenegotiators for both parties havebee n on the same side- Panama's."In fact, the negotiat ions whichhave been going on and off for thepast 12years cannot truly be considered negotiations at all. ProfessorDozer told The Plain Truth of oneparticularly tragicomic episode:

"From the very beginning thesenegotiations have lacked the centralfeature of negotiation , namely aquid-pro-quo, give-a nd- take relationship. When I had an oppo rtun it y in 1967 to talk wi th Ambassador Joseph Fa rland , our ambassador who began the negotiations with Panama in 1965, I askedhim: 'Joe, when you conducted thenegotiations with Panama, did youmake any counterdemands uponPanama? Did you ask for anythingin exchange for the Canal and theCana lZone?' His answer was, 'No, Idon't think I did . . . . Oh yes, onsecond thought, I asked the Panamanians to give us an additional55 feet of land adjoining the U.S.embassy residence [in Panama City]for a parking lot, which they hadpromised.' 'And did you get it?' Iasked him. 'No,' he answered ruefully."Now the idea of exchang ing thePanama Canal for a 55-foot frontage of parking lot is a ridiculouscomparison, but through the yea rsthe U.S. has made no other demands upon Panama in these socall ed negotiations except to ask thePanamanians to abandon their tantrums and quit rioting aga inst theU.S. Th is is the only benefit wewould der ive from the giveawaypolicy."

And that "be nefit" would notlikely la st one day into a new treaty!New reasons for attacking th eAmerican "oppressors" still on handunder the new arrangement wouldsure ly be found. Tensions would begrea ter than ever before-only thistime the Canal itself would be inclear danger.The PLAIN TRUTH July 1977

"When you conducted thenegotiations withPanama, did you makeany counterdemandson Panama? Did you askfor anything inexchange for the Canaland the Canal Zone?""No . . . Oh, yes, onsecond thought, Iasked the Panamaniansto give usan additional 55feet of land at ourembassy for a parkinglot, which they hadpromised." "And didyou get it?" "No."Longtime read ers of The PlainTruth who have also read our booklet The Uni ted States and BritishCommonwealth in Prophecy (writefor your free copy today if you havenot read it) know tha t the UnitedStates, Britain , and the Englishspeaking Commonwealth nati onshave been the end-time recipients ofthe birthr ight promise of nationalgrea tness conferre d by AlmightyGod upon the patriarch Abraham.

The " Sea Gate" BlessingIn d et ai l in g el em ents o f th ispromise, God told Abraham: "Thatin blessing I will bless thee, and inmultiplying I will multiply thy seedas the stars of the heaven, and as thesand which is upon the sea shore ;and thy seed sha ll possess the gateof his enemies" (Gen. 22: 17). TheFenton translation phrases it in thismanner: " . . . And your race shallpossess the gates [plural] of its enemies."The "gates" of enemy nations arethe strategic land and sea gates ofentra nce to or exit from these nations. Although all wealth comes, from the ground, prosperity and af- 'fluence on a national scale havecome also by industry and commerce in modern times. And commerce between nations, even in theje t age, has been transacted almosttotall y via the sea-lanes of th eworld.

The keys to the world's sea-lanes,moreover , a re the va rio us seaga teswhich Soviet strategists view,interestingly enough, as " chokepoints"- areas to grab hold of andrestrict others' access to, riot as ga teswhich swing open wide to the commerce of the world for the benefit ofall nat ions.Many Americans, especially theyounger generat ion who have livedthrough times of unprecedented national prosperity, seem unaware oftheir nati on 's crit ical dep end enceupon foreign trade (66 of America's77 vital minerals have to be imported to a large degree) and unaware, tha t continued, unhampered accessto an area so vital as the PanamaCanal can mean the difference between economic well-being and acrushing depression!Jettisoning a Birthright BlessingIn their rise to world power, Britainand America came into possessionof nearly every major land and seagate in the world. But today, most ofthem, such as the Suez Canal, Adenand Singapore, have been lost asBritain's sun has set and that nationh a s s h r ive l ed b a ck to " l i tt leEngland."The Panama Canal is next on thelist to go- the Ru ssian Navy issteaming toward the "ga te't-sunlessthe American people and their political leaders recognize and returnto th e God who has fai thfullyblessed their nation so abundantlyfor the past two centuries.

This is not "o ur land ," as the songgoes, but God's land. The PanamaCanal sea gate is part and parcel ofAmer ica's Go d -give n birthright,and a necessary vita l territorial ingredient which has ensured and protected our inheritance. If America'spoliticians foolishly dispose of partof the national birthright for nothing (a t least Esau in the Bible got abowl of soup for his!), it shows theyplace little value on the future oftheir country.It 's time America's leaders wokeup to the real challenge that confronts them. If they give up controlof the Cana l Zone now out of fearof another temper tantrum fromtiny Panama, how would they reactto a Soviet clamp on the Isthmus inthe future? 0

11


14/48

killed the Prince of life, whom Godha th raised from the dead; whereofwe are witnesses" (Acts 3: 14-15).

Pert 3

by Garner Ted ArmstrongThe Bible is very hard on itsheroes. It exposes the sins,the flaws, the faults, the appe-tites, the compulsions, the in-adequacies, the lack of faithand the doubts of its mostvaunted heroes. It disclosesthe fact that every last one ofJesus' disciples fled thescene in abjec t fear whentheir leader and championwas about to be crucified. Yetbarely fifty days later theywere willing-to a man-to belashed to the bone, impris-oned and even put todeath forthe name of Jesus Christ ofNazareth. Here were menwho, only weeks before, hadescaped for their lives in fearand craven cowardice. Nowthey were suddenly willing toendure excruciating pain andeven death on the rack. Why?What caused these men to socompletely change their ap-proach? What great event inhistory filled their minds andhearts with such incrediblecourage?

Did They Change Their MindsW ~ S THE Under Pressure?Were all these fervent speeches justan emotional manifestation of having seen a series ofRESURRECTION hallucination s?Would that fervorstand up to the insistent pressure of aA "little" pain and afew threats to life and limb? Or werethese men so solid in their convictions that even threats, bea tings andHOAX imprisonmen t would fail to shakethem?Cri tics eager to disclaim biblicalauthori ty allege the discip les con-

? spired in a plot to fake Jesus' resurrect ion . Stories of every stripe ,including the very first one deliberately contrived and duly paid for byreligionists of the first century, arefreely circulated.Some say the Romans stole Hisbody away. Some claim the Jewishreligious leaders did the same thing.Others say Jesus wasn't really dead,but was just in a deep trance orcoma-faking death and then appearing later in the same body.A popular concept alleges a plotand a hoax . What marvelous dedication to deliberate conspiracy itwould have required-all of theapostles conspiring together to create a false religion around a personin whom they did not believe, andwhom they knew to be a fraud !Think about it.If the Romans had taken thebody, they surely would have displayed it openly to bring to a haltthe religious furor tha t raged in anarea the Caesar wanted quiet,peaceful and profitable. If the Jewish leadersshad spir ited the bodyaway , they most surely would haveparaded it th rough the streets, forthey of all parties were the mostkeenl y in terested in proving Jesusdead and stopping the surge of religious zeal surrounding His resurrection that threatened th eir ownstatus.Did the apos tles stea l Jesus'body? Some of them were married ;whole families, hundreds of peopl e,would have been directly involved .

"We Are All Witnesses"These men were eyewitnesses to oneof t he grea test eve nts in all ofhuman history - the resurrection ofJesus Christ of Nazareth. They sawHim; they talked with Him; they atewith Him; they touched Him- th eydid all these things after they knewHe had been dead and buried forthree days and three nights.

No wonde r t hey powerful lypreached and proclaimed the resurrection over and over again. Peter,in his very first sermon on the day ofPentecost, boldly said to the thousands gathered at Jerusalem: "Yemen of Israel, hear these words ;Jesus of Nazareth, a man approvedof God among you by miracles andwonders and signs, which ' God didby him in the midst of you, as yeyourselves also know: Him, beingdelive red by the de terminate counsel and foreknowledge of God, yehave taken, and by wicked handshave crucified and slain: whom Godhath raised up, having loosed thepains of death : because it was notpossible that he should be holden ofit" (Acts 2:22-24).A little lat er in the sermon, Peterrestated it to his hearers: "This Jesushath God raised up, whereof we allare witnesses" (verse 32). All theapostles were eyewitnesses to thefact tha t Jesus had been resurrectedfrom the dead . Just days later, Peterreiterated the same message to another crowd who had ga thered because of the miraculous healing of aman lam e from infancy. With greatcourage, he boldly told the ga thering: "But ye denied the Holy Oneand the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; and

Fom ashamed anonymi ty toopen acknowledgement, fromhiding behind closed doors tostanding on platforms before thousands of Jews, from talking in whispers to boldly proclaiming thegospel with great power and conviction, from trying desperately tolose themselves incrowds to openlyjeopardizing theirvery lives-such isth e unbe lievabletra nsformation of asmall cad re of men destined to alterthe course of history.

12 The PLAIN TRUTH July ! 977


15/48

Mary, the mother of Jesus, saw Himalive , as did Mary Magdalene, " theother Mary." Jesus' own brothersand sisters saw Him dead and thensaw Him alive.Can you believe for one instanthuman beings would submit to themost horribl e torture , inc ludingbeing crucified upside down (as tradition says Peter was), impaled,sawn in two, burnt at the stake,thrown to wild beasts , stabbed withspears and .swords, stretched onracks, beheaded, or left to starve ina dungeon cell, for what they andtheir loved ones KNEW to be a farce?Can you believe this, when onlymoments prior to Christ's finalagonies they had all forsaken Himand fled? Peter cursed-which heknew was a sin-and vehemently denied Jesus three times. As we shallsee, they proved unwilling to believeJesus was alive; they were incredulous, .disbelieving, needing to beconvinced. Hardly the setting for aplot.Almost immediately following theresurrection, the religious leadersjailed some of the apostles because agreat healing had taken place. Thereligionists couldn't gainsay thehealing; hundreds knew the man ,knew about his crippled condition,knew he had been miraculouslyhealed. Can you believe healingstake place as a result of lying plots?Do criminals involved in a greatconspiracy have the power to heal?The trauma of the originalapostles was soon in coming. Let'ssee how they reacted: whether withreal faith , knowledge, and courage,or in doubt and disbelief, knowingthey were conspirators in a plot.

"And as they [the apostles] spakeunto the people, the priests, and thecaptain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them , beinggrieved that they taught the people,and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And theylaid hands on them, and put them inhold [incarcerated them] unto thenext day . . ." (Acts 4:1-3).

The apostles reacted with greatcourage before the assembled mightof the Jewish religious leaders.Through their chief spokesman, theapostle Peter, they said as if withone voice: "Ye rulers of the people,and elders of Israel . . . Be it knownThe PLAIN TRUTH July 1977

-unto y ou all, and to all the people ofIsrael , that by the name of JesusChrist of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raisedfrom the dead,even by him doth thi s man[formerly permanently crippled]stand here before you whole [complete ly hea led]" (verses 8, 10).Threats and beatings were notabout to change their minds aboutwhat they saw with their own eyesand heard with their own ears . LaterPeter and John further told them:". . . We cannot but speak the thingswhich we have seen and heard"(verse 20).More threats quickly followedthreats that not long before wouldhave had these men quavering in.fear. But instead of a shaken collection of cowards, now they were aclose-knit, t ransformed cadre ofdedicated men which neither themight of the Roman governmentnor the persistence of the vassalJewish rulers could quiet. Noticeverse 33: "And with great powergave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. . . ."By now, the religionists were beside themselves with anger and fear.Jerusalem was in an uproar! Impulsively they imprisoned the apostlesonce again (Acts 5:18), but this timean angel miraculously freed them . .The twelve then hurried to thetemple to give even further witness.But the religious rulers soon caughtup with them. They asked theseapostles: " D id not we straitly[strictly] command you that yeshould not teach in this name? And,behold, ye have filled Jerusalemwith your doctrine . . ." (verse 28).

But the apo stles steadfastlyrefused to bow to ever growing political and religious pressures. Theyweren 't going to change their message to suit any man or group ofmen! Peter boldly told them : "TheGod of our fathers raised up Jesus ,whom ye slew and hanged on atree. . .. And we are his witnesses ofthese things . . ." (verses 30, 32).The Same Message to the GentilesNeither did Peter change his message when the gospel was expandedto include the Gentiles (non-Israelite ethnic groups). Luke, the authorof the book ofActs, penned the verysame message from Peter in the

tenth chapter. Here it is again , almost like a broken record : "And weare witnesses of all things which he[Jesus] did both in the land of theJews, and in Jerusalem . . . Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly; not to all the people, butunto witnesses chosen before of God,even to us, who did eat and drinkwith him after he rose from thedead" (verses 39-41).So over and over again, theapostles preached the same messageabout the resurrection throughoutthe whole Middle-Eastern area.The Reality of What They SawWhat the apostles experienced withtheir own eyes and ears was not just a one-time appearance. In the prologue to the book of Acts, Lukesays: "To whom also he [Christ]shewed himselfalive after his passion[suffering and death] by many infallible proofs, being seen of them fortydays . . . ?' (Acts 1:3).As I mentioned earlier, there waseating and drinking together, muchpersonal conversation, teaching ofthe Scriptures, give-and-take question and answer sessions, solid rebuke, and even sharp individualinstruction. Actually, Christ's personal relationship with His disciplesafter His resurrection did not differmuch from that before His crucifixion. Time and time again , Heproved to them in myriad ways thatHe indeed was one and the sameBeing that had been with themthroughout the ~ - y e a r ministry.He left no possibility for any doubtsto arise later.Perhaps the most poignant incident is that of Christ's appearanceto Thomas. This particular apostlehad, like the others, been throughout Galilee with Jesus, had traveledwith Him down to Jerusalem, up tonorthern Israel, and over to Tyreand Sidon. He had seen Him alivefor ~ years in dozens of differentcircumstances and situations. Thenhe'd seen Him killed, had forsakenHim, and just afterwards experienced the forlorn feeling of beingpart of a let-down, bewildered, scattered group of men whose hero andchampion had just been taken fromthem.

But Thomas was even moreskeptical than the others. He wasn't13


16/48

even interested in the eyewitness accounts of the other disciples. Hedidn't for a moment believe theother ten. "The other disciplestherefore said unto him, We haveseen the Lord. But he [Thomas] saidunto them, Except I shall see in hishands the print of the nails, and putmy finger into the print of the nails,and thrust my hand into his side, Iwill not believe.And after eight daysagain his disciples were within, andThomas was with them: then cameJesus, the doors being shut,' andstood in the midst. . . . Then saith heto Thomas, Reach hither thy finger,and behold my hands; and reachhither thy hand, and thrust it intomy side : and be not faithless, butbelieving. And Thomas answeredand said unto him, My Lord and myGod. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas,because thou hast seen me, thou hastbelieved: blessed are they that havenot seen, and yet have ' believed"(John 20:25-29).Look at the long after-dinner conversation Christ had with Peter concerning his immediate responsibilities to those who would later beconverted and Peter's natural curiosity about John's impending duties(see John 21). Read the last fewchapters of every Gospel accountand you will see clearly that Christshowed Himself alive to His disciples in many varied circumstancesand situations.All are not even recorded for ourbenefit today. John wrote: "Andmany other signs truly did Jesus inthe presence of his disciples, whichare not written in this book: Butthese are written , that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Sonof God; and that believing ye mighthave life through his name" (John20:30-31).The Hostile WitnessPaul (formerly called Saul) wasovertly hostile to the teachings ofChrist. In the earliest years of theChris tian Church, he was busy"breath ing out threatenings andslaughter against the disciples"(Acts 9:1). He sought to imprisonmore and more members of theearly Church-that is, until his totally unexpected meeting with JesusChrist on the road to Damascus.Probably there has been no' compa-14

rable turnaround in the history ofthe Christian Church: a transformation from an almost megalomaniacal, hostile, Hitlerian type of egotistto a humble, teachable, willing andloving type of person in almost aninstant of time.This doesn 't happen every day. Itrequires a traumatic experience toaccomplish such an immediatechange. Paul saw and heard something that turned his life around in afew moments ' time. He never wasthe same again-his change was total and lifelong!Notice his own personal accountof this life-changing event: "I verilythought with myself, that I ought todo many things contrary to thename of Jesus of Nazareth. Whichthing I also did in Jerusalem: andmany of the saints did I shut up inprison .. . and when they were putto death, I gave my voice againstthem. And I punished them oft inevery synagogue, and compelledthem to blaspheme; and being ex-ceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange[foreign] cities. 'Whereupon as Iwent to Damascus with authorityand commission from the chiefpriests, at midday, a king, I saw inthe way a light from heaven, abovethe brightness of the sun, shininground about me. . . . And when wewere all fallen to the earth, I heard avoice speaking unto me, and sayingin the Hebrew tongue , Saul, Saul,why persecutest thou me? It is hardfor thee to kick against the pricks[the goads of his own conscience].And I said, Who art thou , Lord?And he said , I am Jesus whom thoupersecutest" (Acts 26:9-15).Acts 9:6 records Paul's immediatereaction: "And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thouhave me to do?" Jesus then toldSaul to go to the city, and that hewould be shown what he had to do.There followed three long days andnights of blindness (Acts 9 :9),coupled with total fasting.Saul was in a state of deep shock.He had been struck blind; hadheard a powerful voice; had seen alight brighter than the sun ; hadbeen reminded about the innerdoubts of his own conscience whichwere continually nagging at him.(This explains his vehemence in

some measure. I t seems almost?axiomatic that the more violentlyone struggles against some issue ofconscience, the more likely that person has been compromised.)Christ then spoke to Ananias in avision and told him where to findSaul of Tarsus. Saul was spendinghis time in deep prayer (verse II ),and Christ had shown Saul thatAnanias would come to him.Ananias had heard of Saul andwas afraid of him, but Jesus insistedhe go and lay hands on him andbaptize him. "And Ananias went hisway, and entered into the house ;and putting his hands on him said,Brother Saul, the Lord , even Jesus,tha t appeared unto thee in the wayas thou camest, hath sent me, thatthou mightest receive thy sight, andbe filled with the Holy Spirit. Andimmediately there fell from his eyesas it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose,and was baptized" (verses 17-18).Now, with the total change of theHoly Spirit to influence a brilliantmind - a mind that really knew theScriptures (the only Scriptures written were those we call the "Old Testament")-Paul was able to preach"Christ in the synagogues, that he isthe Son of God" (verse 20).Quickly Paul's own troubles began. The Jewish community in Damascus became more and moreenraged at his teaching, and thenews of a plot to kill him becameknown to some of the disciples, sothey "took him [Paul] by night, andlet him down by the wall in a basket" (verse 25).There is strong indication Paulspent up to 3112 years with Jesus inperson, learning at His feet, in thedeserts of Arabia. That's more timethan the average college educationtakes!In any event, Paul, as one begotten "out of season," began preachin g about th e truth of th eresurrection . The fact of Christ's resurrection became the central, dominant theme of Paul's message ; andthe culmination of such preachinggave us one of the most inspiringpassages in the Bible: the "resurrection chapter" (I Cor. 15). In that firstletter to the Corinthian church, Paulsummarized the many resurrectionappearances.



17/48

"For I delivered unto you first ofall that which I also received, howthat Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that hewas buried, and tha t he rose againthe third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen ofCephas [Peter], then of the twelve:After that, he was seen of above fivehundred brethren at once; of whomthe greater part remain [alive] untothis present [time], but some arefallen asleep [have died]. After that,he was seen of James [the brother ofChrist] ; then of all the apostles[once again]. And last of all he wasseen ofme also, as of one born out ofdue time" (I Cor. 15:3-8). Paul'ssummary, however, is not intendedto correspond exactly to the resurrection appearances in the Gospelaccounts. It is written more as a general overview of the total picture.A Change of Heart in Old Age?Over the long haul , did the apostles'conviction that Christ had indeedbeen resurrected begin to wane asthe years rolled by and they approached old age? Did the merepassage of time do what even whippings, imprisonments and dea ththreats had failed to accomplish?The Bible records the old-ageconvictions of three of the "pillar"apostles-Peter, Paul and John.Peter's second general epistle waswritten shortly before his martyrdom. Notice verse 14 of the firstchapter: "Knowing that shortly Imust put off this my tabernacle,even as our Lord Jesus Christ ha thshewed me [in John 21]." By thistime, had Peter 's earlier heartfeltconvictions undergone a slow wilting process? .Just the opposite! Peter told hisaudience: "For we have not followed cunningly de vised fables ,when we made known unto you thepower and coming of our Lord Jesu sChrist , but were eyewitnesses of hismajesty" (verse 16).There is nothing in this last letterof Peter' s to even slightly imply thathis personal religious beliefs hadundergone any basic change. Hisearliest teachings were intact.What about Paul? Did the fact 'that he was not of the originaltwelve slowly begin to erode his beliefs and lead to a later repudiat ion


of the heavenly vision he had seen?Did the fact that he had to suffermore than the other apostles finallybegin to gnaw at him as time wentby? Did a life-style that included thehatred and enmity of his ownpeople, several bouts with a ball andchain, and deprivation of manyphysical necessities ultimately beginto take its toll?Let' s see what he wrote just priorto his death. Paul's second pastoralepistle to Timothy was his last. Inthe fourth chapter, he wrote to theyoung evangelist: "For I am nowready to be offered, and the time ofmy departure is at hand" (verse 6).Notice now another verse in thevery same letter to Timothy: "Remember that Jesus Christ of theseed of David was raised from thedead according to my gospel" (2:8).This one verse makes it clear thatPaul never changed his mind aboutwhat he had seen and heard. He wasan eyewitness-having asked theCorinthian church even years afterthe actual resurrection: "Have I notseen Christ?"The Aged ApostleApparently only John , of all theoriginal apostles, died of old age.He outlived most or all of the othersby about thirty years . He lived tosee Jerusalem vanquished by the armies of Titus. According to manyscholars , all of his writings shouldbe dated in the late first century.But had the passage of timedimmed his convictions about Christ?Did he later reject the resurrection,in spite of the lifelong endurance ofthe other apostles?No, John was busily proclaimingthe very same gospel (which included the resurrection of JesusChrist) right to the end of his life. Inhis first general epistle, his prologuebegins: "That which was from thebeginning, which we have heard,which we have seen with our eyes,which we have looked upon , andour hands have handled, of theWord oflife; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bearwitness, and shew unto you thateternal life, which was with theFather, and was manifested untous;) That which we have seen andheard declare we unto you . . ." (IJohn I: 1-3).

Note that John appeals to three ofour five senses in his logical declaration-hearing, touch and sightsometh ing that even the mostuneducated among us can readilyunderstand.Turn now to the book of Revelation, which is the record that Johnwrote of what he saw and heard.Notice his introduction to Christ'sseven letters to the churches in AsiaMinor: "John to the seven churcheswhich are in Asia . . . and from JesusChrist , who is the faithful witness,and the first begotten [or born] of thedead . . ." (Rev. 1:4-5).Notice verse 18 where Christ isspeaking in the first person: "I amhe that liveth, and was dead; and ,behold, I am alivefor evermore. . . . "Here you have Christ's own personalwitness of His resurrection throughthe pen of the apostle John in hisvery old age.A Unique AUitude and ApproachIn these three installments on thedeath and resurrection of Je susChrist of Nazareth, knowledge hasbeen given to you that you maynever have seen or heard before.What are you going to do with it?What is the ideal attitude and approach to new knowledge-something not generally brought outeven in our Christ-professingchurches?The apostle Paul oncewent toa citywhere he encountered a group ofpeople with one of the most unusualapproaches to newknowledge inallofhuman history . It's one that isalmostnever used today ,even ineducationalcircles. This approach will do you noharm. But it does preempt prejudice,bias, hatred, racism, etc. Itdemands apatient, open-minded and objectivesearch for truth.Notice Luke's account of Paul'sencounter with these unusualpeople in the seventeenth chapter ofActs: "And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas bynight unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of theJews. These were more noble thanthose in Thessalonica, in that theyreceived the word with all readinessof mind , and searched the scripturesdaily, whether those things were so"(verses 10-1 I).(Continued on page 41)

15


18/48

ALITTLIIXIRCISI COULDMIANALlflTIMI Of HIALTH!The right kind of exercise can addyears to your life and dollars to your wallet!

by Harry SneiderHarry Sneider is Executive Fitness Director at Ambassador College in Pasadena, California.

16


19/48

Dyou always feel tired? Getwinded climbing a short flightofstairs? Have trouble sleepingnights? Is your waistline aworry?If you answer yes' to any of thesequ estions, a basic program of simple,inexpensive exercise would almostcertainly be of benefit to you.You say you can' t afford the time toexercise?The truth is, unl essyou havea specia l health problem, you can'tafford not to exercise! Scientific resea rch and experience prove that thehuman body needs exercise to mainta in good health. No one can totallyneglect it without paying a pen alty.Milli ons suffer unnecessary ills anddie prematurely because they are living inactive or sedentary lives forwhich the ir bodi eswere not designed.Medical and health specialistsaround the world emphasize the importance of physical fitness, particularly in our mod ern world whererid ing and sitting are a way of life.

Dr. Paul Dudley White, noted Bostonhear t specia list who has helped presidents and othe r leading Americansachieve better hea lth and productivity th rou gh exercise, has sta ted :" Physica l fitness is vita l for the optimal function of the brain, for reta rda tion of the onse t of seriousarterioscleros is, which is beginning toap pea r in ea rly adult lives, and for-longevity, and a useful and healthylife for our older citizens."Dr . Theodore G . Klumpp of New

York maintains that " remaining active is the key to staying alive . Exercise opposes the effects of stroke orhea rt attack. Blood clots form when .blood flow is sluggish ra ther thanwhen it is vigorous. Yet many peo plewon' t exercise for fear it will provokea heart attack."Dr. Ian Adams, a leading Britishmedical expert, adds that "middleaged adults need regular exercise forthe maintenanceofgood posture andjoint mobility, for the preservation of

strength and stimulation of the cir-culatory system.It isa basic biological &lpr inciple that stimulation maintainsand disuse accelerates-the de teriora-tion of mind and body." sAnd finally, one noted hea rt spe- gcia list warns : "The average execu tivedrives his car to work, sits at his deskall day, then watchesTV at night. Theheart is a muscle and when you don'texercise it, it 's j ust like putting yourarm in a cast. It deteriorates.Throughexercise you can buil d it up."

As a physical fitness trainer, I always emphasize the simple adage"What you don't use, you will lose!"Mind and Body InseparableI have worked with all age grou ps,with overweight as well as handicapped people. I have witnessedgrea t tra nsforma tio ns, not onlyphysical, but men tal and emotional,as a result of a sound program ofphysical fitness tailored to individual needs.

17


20/48

Again . and again these peoplehave demonstrated that the mindand the body are inseparable. Physical stagnation results in mental andpsychological stagnation, and viceversa. And while this applies specifically to the infirm and those wellpast middle age, it is a universalprinciple.I have seen ego-battered business18

executives restored to greater productivity and self-assurance as theresult of a good exercise program.By being able to work more andproduce more, these men were ableto earn more -and they becamemuch more valuable to their employers.I've seen overweight women andgirls gain new self-confidence and

poise, develop a more positive selfimage and change their personalities for the better because theybecame more physically fit.I've seen handicapped people,even those in wheelchairs, find thatthey can achieve much greater useof their bodies than they ever imagined possible. All these peoplefound that following the basic rules .of good health, plus carrying outa tailored program of exercisegreatly improved the quality of theirlives.I have also noticed that the leaders in nearly every field are the oneswho engage in a regular exerciseprogram to protect their health ,skills and productivity . Studieshave shown that exercise can evenhelp students improve theirgrades.How Else Could You Get All TheseResults?Aware that modern sedentary lifes tyles result in deterioratingphysical health, millions are nowbeginning to reap the benefits of aregular ' exercise program: greaterstrength and endurance, reducedtensions, increased self-reliance andthe added enjoyment of a more active life. Approximately fifty percentof American adults are now participating in supplementary forms ofexercise such as walking , bowling,bicycling, golf and swimming. Whatabout you?. Here are some of the results youcan gain from a good physical fitness program: You 'll develop strength and endurance which will help .you perform daily tasks with greater easeand economy of movement. Good muscle tone and posturewill help protect you from backproblems. Your appetite and weight willbe more controllable. When you areinactive, . the appetite, normally amarvelously precise guide of howmuch you should eat , no longerfunctions accurately. In other words ,you will eat more calories than youactually expend. The result is creeping overweight. Some overweight isnot the result of eating too much ,

but of exercising too little. Your blood and lymph systemwill function better and won't getThe PLAIN TRUTH JUly 1977


21/48

Before You Exercise,Some Precautionsclogged up easily. Coronary ar terieswill become wider; blood will floweasier and faster. Many doctors believe proper exercise reduces cholesterol levels in the blood. And ac tivepeople have fewer hear t a ttacks andbetter recovery rates than inactivepe rsons. The efficiency of your hear tand lungs will rise sharply. The totaleffect is that all your body's systemswill be strengthened, and you willfeel much better overall. Enjoyable exercise provides relief from tension and serves as a safeand natural tranquilizer. And sleepwill come easier.Exercise RegularlyHealth and exercise specialists willdiffer in what they feel is the minimum amount of exercise necessaryfor the best results. Ob viously, aregul ar exercise program in any rea sonable amount is better tha n noneat all. I personally feel that around45 minutes a day is the most beneficia l- especially if your daily routinedoesn't include much physical activity. However, I real ize the circumstances of many do not permitspending this much time in exercise.But don't let this discou rage you. Avigorous pro gram three, four or fivetimes a week for lesser period s oftime can also br ing many beneficialresults.Exercise does not need to be boring . Variety is the key once you've .gotten into basic shape . Perhaps youmight encourage your mate andchi ldren to join you. Choosing adefinite time for exercise and sticking with it can also be helpful.There are many form s of exe rciseto choose from: walk ing, bicycling,swimming, jogging , calisthenics ,tennis , skating (roller and ice), basketball, handball, racquetball , toname a few. Each type of exercise

provides benefits oth ers may not.Th e publications referred to in thesuggested reading list in the box(above right) offer many time-testedsuggestions on how to develop theright program for yourse lf, depend-ing on your age, health and presentfitness, plus ways to avoid harmfulpitfalls.Some with spec ia l health prob-lems may need t ra ined help to de velop a fitness program . Exercise,The PLAIN TRUTH July 1977

Almost all persons, whatever theirage, can benefit from some form ofexercise. But authorities urge theseprecautions to lessen risks of overexertion or complications that canresult from existing or unknownhealth problems:

Discuss your plans with a doctor, g

plain truth 1977 (prelim no 07) jul_w

Documents