DO 2713 8/91

(During the coup, Aug.20, while Gorbachev was still in captivity:)

1. PTL! TYL! Give us wisdom‚ Lord. Show Thy Truth‚ Lord, in Jesus' name. Well‚ there's been a very big turn of events in the Soviet Union, which, of course, was not unexpected. However, it certainly seemed unexpected to many World leaders who ought to know better.—Although some of them did expect it & warned of it. They didn't expect the old Serpent to die willingly! As we theorised one time in one interpretation, it almost appears that the Beast—Communism—received a "deadly wound" & should have died, but now, contrary to all expectations, it looks like it's reviving again.—Rev.13:3,12.

2. I would say Yeltsin & his people are certainly courageous‚ & God bless & help them! But as the Chinese found out at Tiananmen Square, it takes more than courage & good purposes & good intentions to win a war. Most wars are won by force—guns, & tanks—& that's something that the bad side, the conservative side, the hardliners, always seem to have a lot of—including China‚ & now the Soviet Union—& seem to know how to plan & plot to use them if necessary. And of course if they have any serious opposition, they will probably use them.

3. Some commentators are saying, "They wouldn't dare use force with the whole World watching!" Did they dare in Tiananmen Square with the whole World watching? They didn't hesitate for a moment‚ they just crushed'm & mowed'm down! The Devil has no hesitancy about slaughter, he loves it!—Especially if they're good people standing up for the right thing, all the more reason that he has to use slaughter, mayhem & massacre!—Not just to get rid of the many who are killed, but to intimidate the millions so that they won't try the same thing! Lenin & Stalin didn't hesitate to slaughter & massacre. Stalin massacred his millions! Why should this coup hesitate to kill a few thousand, if by that they hang on to power?

4. (Note: It's now been revealed that Yeltsin narrowly escaped death during the coup! After he holed up in the Russian White House, the KGB ordered a special Commando Unit armed with bazookas & anti-tank weapons to launch a night attack on him. One of the squad said, "Frankly speaking, we could have fulfilled our task in 20 to 30 minutes!"—But the soldiers discussed it among themselves & unanimously decided to disobey, & Yeltsin was spared.) (D: TTL!)

SUDDEN "EPIDEMIC"!

5. They seem to have an epidemic of some kind of "disease" in the Soviet Union right now. They say poor Gorbachev fell ill with it, & at least two or three more on the new ruling junta have fallen sick—so they say! They say they're "ill." You'd think they'd get tired of telling such a ridiculous lie! Everybody's just snickering & sneering at such silly lies! You'd think they could find some better excuse than that old worn-out lie that they use. It's absolutely ridiculous! They say, "Oh, this guy got sick, & then this guy got sick, & then this guy got sick." (Note: One coup plotter, Prime Minister Valentin Pavlov‚ did get sick, & was hospitalised for "hypertension"—a term Russians also use for imbibing too much vodka! Another of the coup leaders was found unconscious on his office floor among empty vodka bottles.)

FIGUREHEADS!

6. In a so-called junta like this, which was supposedly a ruling committee of eight men, usually the guy who's really behind it all & running it all is just trying to dress it up with outstanding, well-known leaders, & even leaders in whom the people have confidence. In fact, the one they say is supposedly leading it all—I don't think he really is! I think he's just window–dressing, a figurehead. His name is Gennady Yanayev. He was the Vice President, so of course since poor Gorbachev had gotten so "sick," he was the logical one to take over the Presidency. After all, that's what a Vice President is for! However, quite a few commentators who know him pretty well don't believe he's the main one at all. They don't even believe he really organised it, but that he was put up to it.

WHEN PRESTIGE & PRIVILEGES ARE THREATENED!

7. It's amazing what appeals to men, some men near the top, who want to be in power. Why anybody would ever want to be the leader of the Soviet Union, I don't know! That's one reason I think Gorbachev was able to stay on so long—nobody else wanted the job! They didn't want his job‚ but they wanted to keep theirs, & when it looked like he was going to dispense with theirs, that was a different story! They didn't want to lose all their perks & villas & special stores where they can shop & have all they want. When he threatened them, that was the end!

8. That's the same thing that ended Khrushchev. When he threatened to reduce the army by one-half & began taking away all their privileges & it looked like they were really being threatened with complete downfall & to be put out of power & out of prestige & privileges‚ then that was a little too much, he'd gone too far! They did exactly the same thing to him as it looks like they're doing to Gorbachev. Gorbachev was on his vacation at his dacha (country cottage) in the Crimea when three generals of the army showed up & arrested him.

BUSH'S "WONDER-WAR"!

9. The World's leaders have gotten into such a state of optimism & euphoria over the fall of Communism & the liberation of the East Bloc countries, all this great "New World Order" & President Bush's amazing wonder-war, his "100 Days War"! They always like to find some fancy names for these wars. I notice Bush hurried up to have his victory celebrations as fast as he could‚ lest the euphoria & the excitement begin to wear off & people begin to see all the problems the war caused. Now they're not so optimistic about it all, after they've begun to learn how many hundreds of thousands of Iraqis were killed, & how many Kurds & Shiites were killed‚ & all the problems of the Kurdish refugees, so that the U.S. has had to go back—or stay there awhile—to try to rescue them from some of the damage it did. Of course, the U.S. says it didn't do it‚ Saddam Hussein did it!—Ha!

10. We were just reading that the British wanted to go ahead & finish the job & go on into Baghdad & get rid of Saddam‚ but the Americans wouldn't hear of it. They were sticking to the rules, the rules of the U.N., blah blah. What I really suspect—in fact that's what the British said—was that Bush wanted to get the war over in a hurry so they could get home & celebrate it right away quick before anything went wrong! Things went wrong anyhow, but they didn't celebrate those. My goodness, what would they have done with those hundreds of thousands of Dollars' worth of fireworks & all the rest if they didn't use'm up quick before people began to get a little bit soured on the whole thing?

11. So there's not much left to celebrate now. The realistic situation has begun to be exposed, what actually happened—two or three hundred thousand Iraqi soldiers & civilians killed & wounded—all kinds of horrible things!—As well as that terrible episode about the Kurdish refugees!

12. Now that the U.S. has pretty well solved the refugee problem & managed to persuade a lot of the refugees to go home‚ & especially depopulate the mountain border situation between the Kurdish territory & Turkey, the vultures always begin to gather. Turkey's now invaded Northern Iraq by about ten kilometers, & they claim they're going to use that as a buffer zone under Turkish control, "so there won't be any more of these Kurdish terrorists invading Turkey." Countries always have some excuse to invade & take territory & to oppress & all the rest‚ it's pitiful!

WORLD LEADERS PUSSY-FOOTING AROUND!

13. I think perhaps we ought to go back to the basics & let's see how much you remember about the Antichrist. We know that what is happening right now in the Soviet Union is preparation in one way or another for the Antichrist.

14. This coup is really shaking the World up & making a lot of them regret that they didn't help Gorbachev more when he requested help for his country. Nevertheless, they don't want to rock the boat in view of all the nuclear weapons still left in the Soviet Union. So they're saying, "It's fine to show that we don't agree with the hardline Communists taking control, but after all, when all is over & if they stay in power, we'll still have to have some kind of relationship with them. Business & international relationships must go on, so we don't want to offend them too much. We can't interfere in their internal affairs. And what if they do win? If we come out too strong in support of Boris Yeltsin & all the dissenters & all the democratic forces & too much against the plotters, then what is going to happen?"

15. They're already making their plans along these lines. After all‚ if you're a coward, you have to make plans of how to get out of sticky situations & how to try to smooth things over & keep on "business as usual‚" without upsetting the status quo too much & getting back into a state of "cold war" again.

16. Several major leaders are recommending, "Well‚ let's take it easy, let's kind of pussy-foot along & wait to see how things turn out so that we don't offend these guys too much, in case they do stay in power, or we'll get right back into cold war relations again!"

THREAT OF NUCLEAR WAR!

17. I think these guys whose jobs have been going down the drain under Gorbachev are desperate enough that if the U.S. stepped in too strongly to try to stop'm, I don't think they'd hesitate to push the button to stop the U.S.! They've still got all those huge big atom bombs & missiles! They've destroyed very few, or at least made a pretense of destroying them. They just signed this other big treaty, supposedly, so that they would destroy thousands more of them on both sides. But of course now this virtually negates the treaty, & I doubt if anybody will be too eager to destroy their bombs now on either side, for fear they may need'm.

18. And it's going to happen some day! The picture of it is very vivid in Revelation 17 & 18. The merchants stood afar off & watched Babylon (U.S.?) burn, weeping over the destruction of such great wealth & power etc.—Rev.18:9-20. And you know what I think about that! It's going to happen sooner or later. It happens even right there in Daniel.—Dan.11:44. And the description in Revelation is even clearer.

SIGNS OF THE END!

19. But now let's see how your memory serves you! I'm not going to give you a test on the Gospel of John, as you were expecting‚ but I'm kind of raising a surprise test on you here instead! Didn't you just love those sudden surprise tests & snap quizzes when you were in school?—Ha! Well, you shouldn't mind this too much. Goodness gracious, you've gone over this over & over again! I've given you whole long tests on it! Not too long ago we studied the prophecies again, particularly regarding the Antichrist, to see if you had all these beads on a string. So, praise the Lord! Do you want to see if you remember the order of events of the Endtime?

20. After all the events that Jesus described as leading up to the End, He says, these are only "the beginning of sorrows."—Mat.24:8. Now what were those things that He promised would come? (Family: "Famine, pestilences, earthquakes, wars, rumours of wars.") (Family: "Knowledge shall be increased.") Yes‚ Daniel said that‚ & also that "Many shall run to & fro."—Dan.12:4. (Family: "Many false christs shall arise."—Mat.24:5.) Yes. (Family: "The love of many shall wax cold."—Mat.24:12.) Yes. (Family: "Men's hearts failing them for fear."—Luk.21:26.)

THE DRUG PROBLEM!

21. He said also that, "There shall come a falling away first."—2Th.2:3. And boy oh boy, we've sure seen that! Whew! Who ever thought the World would get this wicked, this evil‚ with such an absolute return to savagery in such a hurry!—In just our lifetime, your lifetime!—To where crime is completely out of hand! They can't control it‚ it'll never be controlled, it'll get worse, the Lord said so!

22. They think they can try to control drugs by jumping on the poor people in South America or Southeast Asia who just grow them for a living. They jump on them instead of on their own back in the States & Europe for being addicted, & buying them! Those people in Southeast Asia & Latin America wouldn't be raising those crops if they weren't very saleable, & if there wasn't somebody buying them! But of course the guilty always want to blame it on the innocent & never blame it on themselves.

23. The rich countries of the World like Europe & North America, they are the ones to blame! They buy the drugs, they use the drugs, & their people do so in such enormous quantities that the government is helpless! The pitiful little things they try to do to stop the flow of drugs are just a drop in the bucket! They catch a few tons here & a few tons there, & mostly just a few kilos. Every now & then they're dumbfounded by running into tons of the stuff! They say they apprehend only one out of every ten drug shipments. In other words, for every ten tons of drugs that get into the States, they only catch about a ton, if that much. Maybe somebody is angry at one of the drug lords or some drug dealer‚ or he got gypped in some way‚ a disgruntled employee, so he blows the whistle on'm.

CAUSING THEIR CHILDREN TO PASS THROUGH THE FIRE!

24. The World is a hopeless situation today, let's face it! The Lord Himself predicted it & said "evil men & seducers shall wax worse & worse. As it was in the days of Noah, even so shall it be when the Son of Man comes again."—2Tim.3:13; Mat.24:37. Well, it was about as bad as it could get in the days of Noah when the Lord Himself was sorry that He even made Man, they'd become so evil & wicked, worshippers of the great idol god Moloch, to which they sacrificed their babies!

25. They had birth control in those days too. They couldn't stop the births of babies, but as soon as they had'm & they didn't want them, they'd place the babies in the hands of this big idol in whose interior a fiery furnace was burning, & then the priest behind the scenes‚ in back of the idol, would operate the lever & the arms would throw the baby right into the gaping mouth of that fiery idol!—"Causing their children to pass through the fire," something that was an abomination to God! (See Deut.18:10; 2Kg.17:17, 21:6, 23:10; 2Chr.33:6; Jer.32:35; Eze.20:26,31.)

26. Whether their motives were to get rid of their babies or to find favour in the eyes of their gods‚ it was still infanticide, it was still murder. Whether their motives were bad in wanting to get rid of their children, or "good" in wanting to appease their gods, they were still bad, very bad, an abomination to God! The same as today: Whether their motives are bad—just because they selfishly don't want to share their lives with children—or "good" because they don't want to bring any more children into this terrible World—children that they think they can't raise properly because of lack of money—it's still bad, still killing babies, which God hates—"Thou shalt not kill!"

27. People today are not only still murdering babies‚ but they are still worshipping idols! Most of them worship their car or their house. Some of them would rather give up their home than their car‚ so when they have to make a choice, they go to living in their car. And as far as "causing their children to pass through the fire," they still do it! They not only murder their babies by abortion‚ but they murder their young people by war—"causing their young men & women to pass through the fires of war." (Speaks angrily:) It's a favourite pastime in which the parents send their children through the fire!

28. As almost every great general has said sometime or other, war is Hell!—And it is! And I thank God that most of us have never had to experience it, & I pray that we never will! And you men who had to go to Vietnam will certainly second that! Thank God He spared nearly all of our people from the draft‚ & if not from the draft, from having to go to Vietnam & into those wars! The Lord miraculously spared me when I was in the army, drafted, but thank God He got me out. My whole company was sent to North Africa & I heard later that they were almost all wiped out, all those people I knew, right during the time of Rommel the Desert Fox & Hitler's victories in North Africa.

SPANISH INQUISITION!

29. Persecution, yes! Our Family has been through a lot of that, some of it very bad & very cruel. But He's delivered us, & is still delivering us. In Barcelona the children have all been released, temporarily returned to their parents, & the decision is pending as to the final outcome of the case. Our enemies' case is very weak & without any solid proof against them, so please keep praying. A woman judge is supposed to give her decision no later than September, because by that time they've either got to stay with their parents & go back to school or whatever.

30. The parents in Barcelona have had to get jobs & separate housing because that was one of the conditions the court & the Welfare Department set down if the parents ever wanted to get their kids back. So they have gotten jobs and apartments to convince the authorities that they are responsible adults, & once they did, the court has allowed the children to be with the parents for the Summer months. With the help of their lawyers, they are now fighting to get permanent custody of the children restored to them. They are expecting total victory in that case, as the lawyers said our enemies' case is very weak, & without any solid proof against them.

31. Talk about the Inquisition, there's nothing new about it! The authorities deliberately put those children into System Welfare homes. What was the idea of that? Supposedly to give them better care? What was the Devil's idea? It was to try to corrupt them!—To deliberately try to brainwash them & corrupt them & show them how wonderful the System is, & "You can do as you please & have fun & watch TV all the time!" They even had one of the children driving a car, but he had an accident! All this wonderful "freedom" you can have in the System with these perfect strangers—I wouldn't say taking care of you, but corrupting you—the Devil's own temptations to try to get the kids out from their Godly parents & Godly influence into the Devil's corruption! I refuse to call it "care." The Devil doesn't care, he only cares to destroy!

DAD'S HEALING!

32. So the Lord has won lots of victories, but He has warned us that things will get worse & we will suffer persecution, & we're just trying to keep going as long as we can, praise the Lord! We already suffer the persecution of the Enemy through physical afflictions, but the Lord continues to bring us out victorious, thank the Lord! I've suffered quite a few things‚ but the Lord has always healed me, thank the Lord, & I'm wonderfully, miraculously healed!

33. I'd gotten to where I couldn't even swallow liquids! When I finally got to that point one night, I said, "Lord‚ You're going to have to heal me now," because once you can't eat any longer you don't last much longer! And in answer to your prayers & the Family's, the Lord almost immediately began to heal me! Two days later I was able to swallow again without hurt & without those horrible pains in my stomach etc. So it's wonderful how the Lord answers prayer! Well, we know these things like persecution must come, but He said, "Woe unto them through whom they come."—Luke 17:1. Our enemies are the ones who are really going to suffer for touching God's anointed!

ENDTIME EVENTS!

34. So what is the order of events of the Endtime? After all those things that Jesus described leading up to the End, He said, "This is not the End, this is just a time of sorrow leading up to the Endtime." What were the two or three main signs that the Lord gave as being genuine signs of The End? Can you remember them & give me the Scriptures? (Family: "This Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the World for a witness unto all nations‚ & then shall the End come."—Mat.24:14.) (David: "That day shall not come except there come a falling away first & that man of sin be revealed."—2Th.2:3.) Right.

35. (Family: "And then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning."—Mat.24:21.) Yes, then comes the Tribulation. (Family: The Abomination of Desolation.—Mat.24:15.) That is a distinct sign of the beginning of the Tribulation which Jesus mentioned, & is described in greater detail in the Book of Revelation, & referred to in Daniel.

36. But what has to happen before that? What has to happen before the Tribulation‚ besides the Abomination of Desolation? (Family: The Antichrist arises.) The Antichrist has to arise! And then how long is it before the Abomination of Desolation & the Tribulation? (Family: 3-1/2 years.) Right. And his full reign is how long? (Family: Seven years.) So he has to reign at least 3-1/2 years first, whether secretly or openly, we know not. But it seems a little difficult to believe that he can suddenly leap to World power & demand World worship if he's totally unknown.—Unless‚ of course, it's because of very great supernatural miracles that he performs.

37. It's a little more logical & reasonable to believe that he has those first 3–1/2 years to rise into World power & into World knowledge & World recognition, & get to where he's so popular & so recognised & so feared! "Who is able to make war with him?"—Rev.13:4. They're even afraid to make war with him!—Until he eventually figures he's got the World in his power & he's powerful enough to demand worship, put up his idol, demand that everybody worship him, threaten to kill all those who don't & initiate the Mark of the Beast.

"THEY THAT UNDERSTAND SHALL INSTRUCT MANY!"

38. You've heard a lot of these things, but what if you have to prove it to somebody? In those Last Days it says that "they that understand among the people shall instruct many."—Dan.11:33. Now who's going to want to know? Almost more than anybody else, when they see the Tribulation has begun, who's going to be the most shocked, the most confused, the most upset & the most in wonder & ignorance? (Family: The Pre-Trib Rapturists!) Exactly‚ which is most of the church people! They'll say, "Obviously this is the Antichrist, obviously this is the Tribulation! Why didn't Jesus come & get us like Scofield & all these preachers told us He was going to do?" That's going to be a terrible shock to most of the Christians of the World, most of whom have been deceived by this lie of the pre-Trib Rapture.

39. Who's going to explain it to them? (David: "They that understand among the people.") Yes‚ exactly. God bless you, you've got Scripture to back it up! That reminds me of Aaron! It shows you've been studying. And who understands amongst the people? Do you know anybody who understands? (David: We do!) Yes, we do, that's for sure!

40. And in recent years there have been other Christians who have been following our lead & who have also started preaching the truth. I understand there's quite a growing movement amongst the Christians of the U.S., led by some prominent evangelists‚ to teach & promote the post-Trib Rapture, God bless'm. They are persuading many others to get out of that deceit & that lie of pre-Trib Rapture, & get into the Scripture to see where it's really at! The Scriptures are so clear‚ so plain. Jesus said things that made it very clear, that the Tribulation would come first, before His coming, right there in the 24th Chapter of Matthew!—Mat.24:21,29. Paul couldn't have made it any clearer than in 2 Thessalonians 2, that "that day shall not come" except all these other things happen first.—2Th.2:1–3.

SEVEN-YEAR REIGN OF THE AC!

41. So if I would try to pin you down to give the reference for each of these beliefs & convictions regarding the Endtime, what Scripture would you refer them to regarding the Seven-Year Reign of the Antichrist? Can you open your Bible & give us the reference? (Family: Daniel 9:27.) Very good.

42. And where is the first reference to the fact that his reign will take a turn for the worse halfway through? What's the first inference that that will happen? (Family: It's in the same verse.) What does it say? Read the part that says that. (Family: "And he shall confirm the Covenant with many for one week, & in the midst of the week, he shall cause the sacrifice & the oblation to cease.") That's the first obvious reference to the exact timing right there in Daniel 9:27.

43. Are there any Scriptures before that, that refer to that period, & even give times? (Family: Daniel 7:25.) Yes, "They shall be given into his hand until a time"—a year—"and times"—that's at least two years—"& the dividing of time"—that's half-a-year, according to the interpretation here. So that's 3-1/2 years.

44. And the next one, Daniel 8:13 & 14, of course, is a little mysterious because the time given here is much longer than either half of the reign, & we've gone into that with you before. (See ML# 2165:28-29; 2184:123-125.) It does speak of the "transgression of desolation" in the 13th verse‚ which means what? (Family: The Abomination of Desolation.) Yes, Jesus said, "The Abomination of Desolation, spoken of by Daniel the Prophet."—Mat.24:15. So one Saint is asking, "How long will it be, concerning the daily sacrifice & the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary & the host to be trodden under foot?" And how long does he give? (Family: Two thousand three hundred days.) Yes, & how long is that in years? (Family: Six years & three months.) Yes, very good. I trust you've got it written in your Bible.

45. Well, it's a little difficult to understand that one. How did we interpret that? Apparently that covers the whole period‚ almost to the seven years. And what did we allow for that nine months? (Family: To rebuild the Temple.) We just theorised that that's what it would take, once the Antichrist has taken over & agreed on a settlement about internationalising Jerusalem & rebuilding the Temple.

SHAMIR'S "GREATER ISRAEL!"

46. Sharing Jerusalem with the Arabs is the only solution‚ & they'll never do that until the Antichrist forces them to! The Jews will never make any settlement about Israel, Jerusalem, the Palestinians‚ nothing! Not even for God did they do it without being forced to! They're certainly not going to do it for any peace conference. That's so much baloney! It's never going to happen. They may have a peace conference, but it's never going to settle it. Shamir convinced against his will is of the same opinion still‚ & he doesn't plan to give up one square inch of any of the occupied territory! In fact, he's looking forward to the "Greater Israel" that David ruled, all the way from the Mediterranean to what? (Family: Arabia?) Oh, beyond that! Come on now, what was the extent of David's "Greater Israel" which he fought to win from enemies etc.?

47. God promised Abraham, God promised Jacob, God promised the Jews that He would give them everything from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates! Maybe you can find it on your Bible map. Some people interpret "the river of Egypt" to be the Nile, but there is another little river called the River of Egypt just South of the Gaza Strip. The Lord in one prophecy said, "Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates."—Gen.15:18. Goodness gracious, that would take in a lot of territory!—Syria, Jordan, Lebanon & part of Iraq!

48. So that's what Shamir is aiming for, he wants to rule all the way from, as some people say, the Nile‚ to the Euphrates! So he's not about to give up his little foothold in Israel, modern Israel, the West Bank‚ the occupied territories etc. Israel will never give up an inch of it unless they're forced to, & I don't think they'll ever give up any part of Jerusalem even for internationalisation unless the Antichrist forces them to! Apparently in his invasion of Israel to put down their uprising & their rebellion against the Covenant, then they're forced to. That's kind of the beginning of the end, because by that time he's taking over & he even makes his palace in Jerusalem.—Dan.11:45.

49. It'll be sort of a little surprise to Shamir if the Antichrist turns out to be an Arab! We don't know. All we know is he comes from the North, he's called "The King of the North," & the greatest country North of Israel is the Soviet Union! But certainly in the end he is sympathetic to the Arabs, obviously‚ because he forces Israel to give up Jerusalem at least to internationalisation & sharing with the Arabs, & from all the other Scriptures it sounds like he just puts down Israel & puts himself up. By that time he has power enough that he's invaded & he's ruled all that territory & he's conquered the Jews & he's made Jerusalem his capital. What a clever idea to appease the entire Arab World of Moslems, to take over Jerusalem, their second holiest city, & make it his capital, in defiance of the Jews!

50. So don't expect anything to come of any peace conference with Israel! Israel will never make peace. They'll never give up a thing! What Jew did you ever find who was willing to give an inch or give up anything? They always win! They always win all the arguments. When we were in Israel we asked someone, "What's going to happen about this problem with wars here & the threat of the Arabs?" And the guy said, "Oh, we Jews will just keep on talking!" That's exactly what he said! He was a very important person too, so he oughta know! He'd lived there all his life. See, they can always stave off a decision if they just keep on talking.—Or, in some cases, just refuse to talk.

CONFEDERATIONS!

51. Anyway, there are about 15 different Soviet Republics that want freedom & disagree & don't want to be in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics any longer. The coup took place the day before Gorbachev was to sign an agreement to give them a semblance of freedom, to where they would just have an association of Socialist Republics. Apparently the Reactionary forces felt that that was such a threat to their power & their future, they had to stop him before he could get the various Republics to sign! Instead of a hard & fast dictatorship, a solid union, it would have made the Soviet Union into a confederation.

52. That's what the Southern states wanted in the United States. That was another good example of that sort of thing. But what happened instead? The dictator‚ Abraham Lincoln, used merciless force to crush the rebellion of the South.—With years of war & the murderous massacre of tens of thousands of its own citizens!

53. Will dictators hesitate to kill to establish their power & their iron grip on any recalcitrant states?—No! The United States Civil War is one of the biggest examples of it! So how could the U.S. ever complain or accuse the Soviet Union when they are doing the very same thing the U.S. did? The Soviets could refer to the U.S.' own Civil War & say, "Well you did it! Why are you talking to us about it? We're going to crush all these rebellious Republics!"

DICTATORSHIPS & FREE MARKET SYSTEMS

54. I don't know whether any of you have read the article someone sent us about "The Dark Colonel" in the Soviet Union, but everything that was happening is exactly what he said is necessary. He said, "We need to crush all these dissenting movements, we need to crush the independent power of all the Republics! We need to force them into a union with military might, which we have the might to do!" He said, "Democracy is not the answer! If it ever comes to that, it will have to be after a change in the economic system!" He as good as said that dictatorship has to come first, & then after that, democracy. A dictatorship of the economy, so-called free trade.—Ha!

55. That, to me‚ is almost laughable! Any dictator who gets total control of the Economy & then promises to turn it over to free enterprise, free market, that's just an absolute fanciful lie! Once they get control‚ they never let go unless they're forced to! Have you ever heard of any dictator voluntarily giving up his power? I think there's hardly a case in history! Once they get power it's like an addiction, & they usually never let go unless they're forced out. So no dictatorship in the Soviet Union is going to decide to turn the Socialist system over to the Free Market. They use that term now, "Free Market System," instead of saying "Capitalism." They don't want to offend themselves & the people who have been taught to hate Capitalism.

56. I don't see any chance of a Free Market Soviet Union ever arising! It obviously has completely fallen apart, the economy has crashed, Communism has ruined the country, & as far as I can see, there's no salvation for the Soviet Union except the Antichrist. As I have mentioned to you before‚ the only person who could possibly solve the mess that the Soviet Union is in‚ is not Gorbachev. I have been expecting to see him go, for them to put him out. I've been amazed he lasted this long!

57. And yet the World leaders have been optimistically predicting his survival. This is wishful thinking. They always hope for the best & usually get the worst. So now it's happened, what, of course, was bound to happen. These Communist officials aren't going to let go of their posh jobs & posh power & posh homes & all their special privileges, posh stores where only they can shop & that sort of thing, where the shelves are full! These aren't going to be the guys who are going to starve. They don't give a damn about the public, all they care about is themselves! They wouldn't mind wiping out the whole public if they could just survive themselves!

58. This is exactly what Stalin & his gang did. They were in the process of just wiping out the public, as many as wouldn't go along with them‚ & I believe these guys are no different. They're Stalin's disciples & they're going to follow the processes & acts of Stalin—if they survive. And frankly, it would take an act of God, as far as I'm concerned‚ that they wouldn't survive. (The miracle happened, praise the Lord, & at least now there may be some temporary reprieve!—D.)

59. I don't doubt that it was the hardcore Communists all along who were stirring things up & withholding goods from the people & then making them think it was all Gorbachev's fault. They had to make the people very discontented & dissatisfied before they'd be willing to give themselves up again to a tyrannical Communist dictatorship.

60. It's quite possible that the Strong Man could come out of this group, or be behind them‚ one or the other, even if they all fall! They're a front, just a false front for what is coming. Already some of them are showing themselves to be stronger than others. In fact, the ones that the World & World leaders thought were the strongest, are the ones who have already "fallen ill." Maybe it would be better to call it "fallen nil"!

61. So frankly, I've told you several times that I didn't see how the Soviet Union's problems could ever be solved unless the Antichrist arose & forced the solutions upon them.—Not only on them, but the whole World! So as far as I'm concerned, I've been expecting something like this to happen, & that probably out of this mess will rise the World Dictator, the Antichrist. Because I can't see how anything else could solve the situation‚ or the World's situation & the mess that it's in, than some tremendously charismatic—isn't it amazing they should use that term—gifted leader.—Gifted by the Devil with the power of miracles, signs & wonders to give him authority & to take over the World & establish World peace, or try to. He's not completely successful, as you can read in Daniel & other Books, he goes on into several other wars.

62. And in Revelation 17 it makes it very clear that the nations of Europe are finally going to do what? (Family: Join with the Antichrist.) (Rev.17:12-16.) Yes, turn their missiles around toward the West, toward the only one who refuses to join‚ & that's, as usual, the stubborn U.S.A. & the Americans who think they can do anything & get away with anything, & think they can fight them. And then when they have all of those missiles & whatnot turned on America, they press the button & that's it!

ALL THESE EVENTS BRING US NEARER TO THE END!

63. That may not be a very cheerful message for you, but you should be thankful, because every one of these events that occur brings us nearer to the End, thank the Lord! And that'll be a glorious Day, when it comes to the End! The Lord even told us how many days it was going to last so we can literally count the days & know how much longer we have.

64. 3-1/2 years may seem like a long time‚ but it's going to take time. The Antichrist makes a lot of proud boasts when he puts up his Image & sits in the Temple of God claiming he is God, & decreeing that all those who refuse to worship him should be killed. It doesn't say that they are all killed, he just demands that, orders it.—Rev.13:15.

65. But obviously a lot of us, perhaps even most of us, are going to survive to the End! We know there are the Two Witnesses at the very End, & I don't think they're going to be the only ones left. (Rev.11.) My Dad even believed that they were symbolic of the Church & the Word or something like that. He spiritualised everything. Thank the Lord my Mother stuck pretty well to the literal interpretation of prophecy, but of course in those days, that was all pre-Trib.

66. Preachers were coming around saying, "Jesus could come any moment! I've sold my house, I've paid all my bills so I won't be raptured owing money to anybody!" Boy, as far as I'm concerned‚ that would be the best way in the World to get out of paying your bills, ha! Because who do you owe the bills to, anyway? If they're raptured with you, then their problems are solved; you don't have to pay the bills! If they're left behind, they deserve to be left in the lurch—Systemites, unsaved, wicked people who just live for your money! You can be thankful God took you out of the picture before you had to pay those extortioners all that money! Praise God! (But until God takes you out of the picture‚ you'd better pay your bills, & on time! See "Owe No Man!" ML#701.)

MIRACLE HARVEST IN SOVIET UNION!

67. To me, this whole situation is very interesting & it's fascinating to watch the development of this & how it's going to come out. It looks to me, frankly, like preparation for the End & for the Antichrist! Praise the Lord! That means we're that much closer! And I'm sure the Lord's going to keep us going until the End!

68. Look how we got into the Soviet Union! We've got teams there right now, & they're printing millions of our pubs for distribution to the people of Russia—Russians, in Yeltsin's territory! Of course, the coup leaders were claiming it. Gorbachev thought he had it‚ but he surely must have known he couldn't keep it that long. That's why he was trying to compromise so long between the hardliners & the Republicans. He was trying to keep them all happy!

69. That's one wise thing that Lincoln said: "You can fool some of the people all the time, & all the people some of the time, but you can't fool all the people all the time!" The Communists have had 70 years of it in which they pretty well tried to fool all the people all the time about everything! But it had to come to an end sooner or later so that the Lord could give us a harvesting time, a reaping time in those areas. It's been miraculous! Supernatural! A miracle!

70. We're publishing our Posters & Gospels in nearly every one of those countries in Eastern Europe, & if not actually getting them printed in those countries, we're distributing them there, at least, & winning thousands upon thousands of souls, & being a witness to literally millions in the formerly Communist Empire! Now that had to take a miracle! The Lord had to break down that wall to enable us to get in there so we & other Christians could do that to give them their last chance‚ for us to reap the final harvest! The Lord did it in His mercy & His Love. Just think how much He loves those people to give them a last chance—to deliver them, to save them—a final reaping before the door is going to be slammed shut!

71. My first impulse was to send a message & tell our missionaries there to all get out quick while they can. But then I realised I have to let them make their own decision according to their faith & what the Lord leads them to do, according to whether they think they can survive a little longer, get away with it a little longer, follow up on some of these precious souls who have been saved a little longer, teach'm a little longer. Maybe the Lord wants'm to stay until they're forced out, kicked out. Nobody's been telling them to stop yet, isn't that wonderful? Miraculous!

72. I'm sure if these atheistic, devilish hardline forces take over again, the time will come very soon when they'll be forced out. But then "they have done what they could."—Mark 14:8. Praise the Lord? And if they're forced out, well‚ that's one time when you really know it's time to go, when they make you go. If you don't know whether you're supposed to leave yet or not, well, you can always wait till they kick you out—or kick you in—to jail! Personally, I always prefer to be at least a jump ahead of that. So we're just leaving it with them & their contact with the Lord, to do as He leads. Matthew 9:29, "According to your faith be it done unto you!"

APOSTLE PAUL'S MISTAKES!

73. I think the Apostle Paul did some things I wouldn't have done! I think he made some serious mistakes, trying to go back to win those horrible Jews in Jerusalem! He just seemed to think his testimony was so powerful it would just win anybody! It won kings & governors & lots of people!—But not those Jerusalem Jews! In the early days it did, but after the harvest of Israel, Judea & Jewry was reaped, & only the hardliners were left. If it hadn't been for that Roman Centurion, Paul would've been a dead man long before! They were going to kill him on the spot right outside the Temple, & the Roman soldiers rescued him!—Acts 21:30-36. But he was never a free man again, that was the end of his freedom.

74. First he was in the custody of the Romans & the Jews plotted to kill him‚ & the Romans had to ship him out of Caesarea to save his life. And because he'd appealed to Caesar, then they had to take him to Rome, because he was a Roman citizen.

THE LORD CAN'T LET IT GO ON TOO MUCH LONGER!

75. Anyway, I think I've told you enough & you know enough that you can study up on the Scriptures about Bible Prophecy & these Endtime Events. I thought I'd see if you still remember those things, because I think this could very well be the preparation for the Antichrist.

76. If the Lord waited much longer, Man would destroy the Earth! If the Lord waited much longer, Man would destroy himself with all his crime & horrors! The Lord just can't let it go on much longer or there won't be anything left to save or rescue!

77. Hallelujah! To us that's encouraging, amen? It won't be long now! We won't have much longer to have to work so hard to get the Word out to the World. We won't have much longer to do it. But we sure made the best of the time we had! PTL! Would you like to close in prayer, Son?

CLOSING PRAYER

78. (David: Thank You Jesus so much for this night, & that You showed Grandpa these things & that he could pass them on to us & the rest of the Family. We thank You so much that it won't be long now‚ that You're coming back soon‚ Jesus, to save us & all the World from this mess! Thank You so much, Lord, for how You're in control. We may not exactly know the future, but at least we know Who holds the future. So please give all Your Family Members, Lord, & all the real true Christians real peace, because we know that You're going to work it out & You're going to take care of it. We pray that we'll be able to do our job for You & won't be too hindered by the Devil & all his tricks. We really pray that You'll bless & keep & protect all the Family & all the Christians in Russia, Lord, & in the places where all these terrible things are happening. Please protect & keep them as they go witnessing & give Your Message to others, in Jesus' name.) Amen! TYJ! PTL!

(Message from the Family in Eastern Europe during the time of the Coup, 8/91:) "When we had prayer with the Home over the situation, the verses that various Home Members received all seemed to indicate that the Lord would get a victory out of this & that we would have more time to reach the country‚ that our ministry there wasn't finished yet. We are also holding on to the promise the Lord gave Dad—that as long as we're feeding the sheep there He'll keep the doors open for now!

(Here is the Message from Mama & Peter sent to the Family in Eastern Europe in June, 1991:) "We have some especially timely & exciting news from the Lord for you! A couple of nights back, the Lord spoke through Dad & said that He would keep Eastern Europe open for the Family, as long as we're faithful to preach the Gospel there, & until He knows that the job has been done sufficiently! PTL!"

THE LORD TURNED THE TIDE!

(The next day‚ 21/8/91, after news of Gorby's return to power:)

79. PTL! TYL! Well, there's lots of good news today, thank the Lord! Somebody must have had more faith than I did! I'm sure there must have been lots of people really praying, including our folks & all the Christians & church folks, & the Lord was merciful. He turned the tide for yet a little while. It's not going to be permanent, of course‚ but at least the Lord's given us a little more time, thank the Lord! PTL!

GORBACHEV'S COMPROMISE!

(Next day‚ 22/8/91:)

80. Did you know Gorbachev gave a press conference after his release, his long, personal recounting of what happened to him? It's a fascinating story, of course, since nobody knew exactly what happened, although they suspected. Well, he says he learned a lesson. I think the lesson he's learned is not to trust people so much & not to compromise, as he's been doing, with the old system.—And that his real enemies mean business & are going to get in any way they can & where they can. So I think it's made him a harder man‚ a tougher man, to realise his enemies are tough & he's got to get tough with them!

81. I think frankly the biggest mistake that he's made is compromise. He's wavered from one side to the other, & he flatly refused to leave the Communist Party. Now that, to me, will never have the blessing of the Lord, that he's stuck faithfully by the Communist Party. And we realise that probably one of the main reasons he has done it is to try to woo them & keep them "in the fold," so to speak. Well, this should have taught him a lesson‚ that they are incorrigible & there's no use compromising with them any more. I think the smartest & the first thing he ought to do is resign from the Communist Party, but he's given no indication of that yet. (He has now!—D.)

82. They'll never really believe he's all-out, 100% for the truth & liberty & Freedom & a Democracy Revolution until he gets out of that God-damned Antichrist Party! The very fact that he still holds membership in it is a compromise. It's a denial of everything that he's stood for, & I think it's a real mistake that he keeps on sticking up for the Communist Party when they are his worst enemies! I hope this whole thing has taught him not to compromise with his enemies any more, & not to trust them any more.

83. Gorbachev reminds me of Saint Paul & his faith in the Jews! He kept insisting that somehow they could be won, that if he'd stay loyal to Judaism & their customs & the Law etc., that he could win them over. But he learned otherwise, just like Gorbachev has learned. I think those 72 hours he spent in captivity really shook him up! He didn't know if they were going to slaughter him & his family right then & there, like the Communists did to the poor Czar & his family! And I think that shook him up! You could tell he was pretty well shaken. He was hesitant, he was very slow of speech, almost like he was still stunned from it. (And his wife Raisa had a stroke!—D.)

84. Let's hope he's learned his lesson. Well, we know how it's going to work out in the long run, so perhaps he hasn't learned his lesson. I don't have much confidence in his continued rule unless he resigns from, denies & outlaws the Communist Party‚ because they're still the greatest threat to his authority & his Freedom Revolution.

"WAIT A LITTLE LONGER, PLEASE JESUS!"

85. So let's pray that we may gain a little more time, if possible. The Lord has unexpectedly given us a little respite‚ a little more surcease from the End. I'm sure lots of people have been praying besides us & our folks, especially our people in the Soviet Union & Eastern Europe, that they'll have a little more time. It reminds me of an old song we used to sing: "Wait a little longer, please Jesus, because of all my friends who are out in sin" etc. So that's a prayer I'm sure a lot of people are praying‚ & I'm sure even all of the nominal, formal Christians of the Soviet Union have been really praying, & Christians around the World have been praying. And God has answered their prayers by giving a little more time.

86. But, of course, you & I know that it's not going to last much longer‚ it's impossible. Man is not going to be able to save himself, & nothing can save him from the Antichrist except the Lord, & the Lord has pre-ordained from thousands of years ago that the Antichrist will come!—No doubt to punish the World for its sins. But in a more or less recent revelation we received, the message was that God's going to let us keep right on working till the End, praise the Lord! (See "Revelation: When's the End?", ML #2711.) In the very End Time we'll probably not be able to work, but we will be able to work until that time, until The End! It was put as though the End was some distance off yet & that we'll never be stopped until the End comes‚ thank the Lord!

GORBACHEV—STILL LOYAL TO THE COMMUNISTS!

(Next day, 23/8/91:)

87. Gorbachev was still affirming his firm faith in Communism & that the Party can be saved, that there are lots of good people in it who are for Reform & Perestroika & Glasnost etc. He's still protesting his faith in Communism. I could see the journalists' disappointment, they had been hoping he would come out of that experience finally fed–up with Communism, but he's still standing loyal to the Communist Party. I think the people are going to have a lot more confidence in Yeltsin now as long as Gorbachev still stays loyal to his old pals. He just can't seem to pull out completely.

88. Yeltsin feels the spirit of the people, but Gorbachev is still hanging on to the old. It's going to be his downfall. He has roots in the old, so I don't think he'll last. He's not sensing the wind, he's not sensing the spirit of the people! They want complete freedom from the past & from Communism! They'll never be free until they're completely free of Gorbachev. He's compromising with the wrong people. Gorbachev is a man of the past now. Yeltsin is the man of the future. Gorbachev is in love with the past.

89. The only thing I can see different from Gorbachev & the rest of the Communists is that he's for democratic Socialism. He thinks the people should have their say & there should be freedom of speech etc., but he still thinks there should be Communism. Unlike Shevardnadze & Boris Yeltsin & several others, he apparently hasn't lost his faith in Communism. All the major leaders of the Democratic Freedom Forces right now have left the Communist Party as a hopeless case, but Gorbachev is still clinging on, hoping to convert it, like Paul did with his Jews. Paul had to get nearly assassinated, beat up‚ arrested & imprisoned for the rest of his life before he got over it, & I'm not sure he ever did get over it!

90. Gorbachev thinks the only thing bad about Communism is that they weren't democratic in the first place. People don't like Gorbachev for that reason, his unwillingness to forsake the Communist Party, so they aren't going to trust him. I don't think he's going to last much longer. People are fed up with Communism, but Gorbachev is trying to salvage it. All he wants to do is make it more democratic, that's all. Loyalty can be very misguided. How can they trust him any more when he remains loyal to Communism—their enemy?

91. It's sad that he should do so much & go so far, but not all the way. That's always a sad picture of people who are not wholehearted, who go so far but not all the way. An old proverb says, "There are many starts, but few endings." Well, I trust that I am ending what I am supposed to do! (Mama: Amen! "He that hath begun a good work in you will perform it unto the end."—Phil.1:6.)

92. Gorbachev feels a nostalgia for Communism like I sometimes feel a nostalgia for the church, but I know better than to go back to it. My people went with me because they knew I was forsaking all, a 100-percenter‚ & had made a complete break with the System. If it had only been a half-hearted thing, they never would have followed me.

93. He's double-minded.—That's what's wrong with Gorbachev, he's double-minded & unstable, "like the waves of the sea, driven with the wind & tossed." The Lord says‚ "Let not that man think that he will receive any thing from the Lord."—Jam.1:6-8. The Lord's been merciful to him, but that was the final test, & in spite of all that‚ he's still proclaiming his loyalty to the Party. Yeltsin certainly had better sense than that.

94. That was really kind of Yeltsin to even insist that Gorbachev be brought back. He could've used it as a good excuse to take over & fight the whole thing by himself, but he insisted on doing it the legal way. Gorbachev's great failing is that he flatly refuses to give up the Party. "No man can serve two masters."—Mat.6:24.

95. The people are for total freedom, they're not going to be tied down to part loyalty to the Party. The Party means nothing to them except slavery, oppression, tyranny & all that is evil!

96. It's so sad for a man to have come so far but yet be unwilling to go all the way. Poor Gorbachev. It reminds me of the rich young ruler who came to Jesus seeking Salvation. His riches had not satisfied him, & yet when Jesus told him the solution was to sell all that he had & give to the poor & come follow Him, "he went away sorrowful for he had great riches."—Luk. 18:23. He went back to his riches. They hadn't satisfied him, they hadn't made him happy, but he still preferred them over Jesus' life of self–sacrifice & forsaking all.

97. Gorbachev is not willing to forsake all, he's not willing to cut all ties with the past, with the enemy & with the Party. He still wants to hold on to that & have freedom too. But that's never the way it works, you have to give all to get all. You've got to go all the way. Jesus emphasised this over & over again‚ you can't just go half way, you can't even just go most of the way, you have to go all the way or you don't get it! PYL! TYL!

98. Gorbachev said that Socialism had been proven through the centuries, & he even gave Christianity as an example. It's amazing! Pitiful! His idealism gets in the way of his practicality. Socialism certainly didn't work in the Soviet Union. In fact, it ruined the country, wrecked their economy & everything else, but he won't let go! It's pitiful! And the people all see it, it was brought out so publicly in that press conference after his captivity. Journalist after journalist, reporter after reporter brought up the subject & he just refused to let go, he just hung on defending the old guard, defending the Party, defending his old friends & their loyalty, blah, blah.

99. Like a blind man—there are none so blind as those who will not see. He just refuses to see that the Party is wrong. He said, "I know there are lots of good people in the Party who are for reform & for democracy just like I am‚ & we must try to save them!" Isn't that pitiful?

100. It's just like saying, "Well, there's a lot of good in the System, so we shouldn't try to throw it all away." That's the trouble‚ when they try to start picking around to see what you should save & what you can discard, there's no way. The Lord was for completely coming out‚ "Come out from among them & be ye separate, & touch not the unclean thing."—2Cor.6:17 The Lord goes for all the way, forsaking all!

101. It's really pitiful! He has such strong convictions about some things, but he has such strong weaknesses about others. He has just refused to give up the Party, & yet that's the only solution that will satisfy the people. God help him, Jesus! He still thinks he can revolutionise the System, he's not willing to go all the way & forsake all. He still wants to have both, it's pitiful!

102. The old guard wanted to dump him because he was too radical, & the new guard wants to dump him because he's not radical enough, he's got it coming & going! The old guard has had their try & they're way off beam. They're completely off the wavelength of what's going on in the country as far as the people are concerned, so it would take an Antichrist, really, to bring them back.

WE ARE UNIQUE!

103. The new guard, led by Yeltsin, are going to dump Gorbachev anyway because he's too far behind the times. My Mother was sort of like that. She was considered a rebel by her own denomination & yet she didn't go far enough to suit me, so I had to finally pull out. That's what the Lord told us to do.

104. It's such a parallel to us. In church history there were reformers & there were evangelists & there were pioneers, but they never could figure out how to leave the church.—If they did‚ they just started another denomination, another church. They never did figure out how to absolutely kick the churchianity habit. But we did & we're just about the only outfit that I know of—at least any organised outfit—that's done it! You take the Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Scientists & Seventh-day Adventists, they didn't pull out of churchianity, they all still have the same idea of churches. The Jehovah's Witnesses call them "Kingdom Halls," but they're still little churches. The Mormons & Christian Scientists build huge temples, like Greek temples‚ but they're still churches.

105. I don't know anybody who has pulled out like us & built no buildings, no churches, owns no properties & have been fully free to spend all the money we get on missions. So we are unique! (Mama: And live together communally.) To whom shall we go? We're the only outfit that really has it! PTL!

YELTSIN—MAN OF THE HOUR!

(Later, 23/8/91:)

106. There wouldn't be any Gorbachev now if it hadn't been for Yeltsin! But I thought it was a rather pitiful sight to see them standing there before the Soviet Parliament, Gorbachev being handed the script of things to read from Yeltsin—things he said he hadn't even seen before—& Yeltsin obviously calling the shots.—For which I don't blame him! I don't blame the Reformers!

107. And even in this setting, Gorbachev is still stubbornly defending the Communist Party & refusing to do anything about it!—Whereas Yeltsin's issuing edicts right & left banning the Communist Party‚ banning KGB activities, closing up the Communist Party, sealing off its headquarters in Moscow, doing all the things that should be done. And Gorbachev is standing there pitifully—this little runt beside this big giant—defending the Communist Party! As I said yesterday after the news of his press conference, he is still stubbornly defending Communism & the Communist Party & proclaiming his loyalty to Socialism, & even quoting Lenin!

108. That has been his weakness all along. He has been unwilling to completely forsake the old & come along wholeheartedly with the new. The Lord says a man who is double-minded is unstable in all his ways, as the waves of the sea when it's tempest-tossed. After his answers to the questions from the various reporters in the press conference, even the reporters themselves said, "He's a man torn, he's a man in conflict with himself."—Double-minded! They're almost quoting the Scripture! And the Lord says, "Let not that man think that he shall receive any thing from the Lord!"—Jam.1:6-8.

109. For years he was trying to bring democracy & freedom, & that was all very well & good, he did a good job in starting that. He was all for freedom & democracy, but what he was trying to do was democratize the Communist Party! I mean, if you don't forsake all, you can't have all! He's half-hearted‚ double-minded & unwilling to forsake his old pals. So now I think he's going to lose it all!

110. Obviously Yeltsin is calling the shots, even handing him what to read & what to say! He's just using Gorbachev as a figurehead, & Gorbachev can be thankful that he's even that! After all‚ Yeltsin saved his life & saved his job.—Although his job doesn't amount to much now, he's almost just a spokesman for Yeltsin & his Freedom Movement. Yeltsin is the one who's calling all the shots.

111. Gorbachev even objected, right there from the podium, to some of the things that Yeltsin was insisting on, like firing some of the people that Gorbachev didn't even want to fire. Yeltsin was immediately firing someone who Gorbachev had just appointed! Yeltsin just got up & fired him! Yeltsin is feeling his oats & he knows where he's at, & he knows what he wants, & he knows what the people want!—And what they've been sick & tired & fed-up with for years! Now at least they have a chance for freedom. They're blaming all their problems on the Communist Party most of all, & partly on Gorbachev, for not going far enough, not going all the way. So obviously Yeltsin is the man of the hour & the one who is really in tune & on the right wavelength as far as the people are concerned.

112. They've torn down the statue of the founder of the KGB! That was quite a sight, that gigantic statue, it must be 20 or 30 feet tall, being torn down. The Mayor of Moscow‚ who's a Reformer, promised to send in the cranes & derricks, & they sent in three of them! They put a cable around the guy's neck, lifted him off his pedestal & lowered him down. They didn't let him fall hard & break up‚ they let him down pretty easy. They probably want to preserve him for some museum or something. Maybe they're going to sell him like they did the Berlin Wall—the head, an arm, a leg!—Ha! And they closed up the KGB Headquarters & wouldn't let anybody in‚ the same with the Communist Headquarters.

113. Yeltsin appointed real Reformers to these offices, to which Gorbachev had appointed some of his old guard, old friends again, the same old pals. Gorbachev is just absolutely insistent that they recognise the Communist Party appointees & all that‚ but Yeltsin is on a winning spree, & he is going to see that things are done the way the people have wanted them done for a long time.

114. They've been patient with Gorbachev, waiting for him to go all the way, but he's been dragging his feet from the beginning, declaring his loyalty to the Communist Party, his refusal to resign from the Communist Party!—When all of his real leaders, from Shevardnadze on down, had resigned, walked out on the Communist Party. Shevardnadze, Pavlov, Yeltsin, & many others had completely left the Communist Party, but Gorbachev refused to do so. He said he was still a Socialist & he believed that it could work if there was sufficient democracy & freedom in the Party.

115. The Communist Party has never been for democracy or freedom. It's a dictatorship! Even Lenin said that, that it was going to be a "dictatorship of the proletariat"! "Proletariat" means people, but people never dictate—except, you might say, in a democracy—& they've never had any democracy in the Soviet Union for the last 70 years! It's been a total dictatorship of the Communist Party & its dictatorial leaders. Thank God it's out & let's hope it's done for!

THE "MAN OF SIN"!

116. The way things are going right now, it looks very encouraging, but it could still be an opportune moment for the Antichrist to arise. He is somewhere around.

117. So it's a very eventful time, tremendous happenings are going on! It's a time of decision, a time of crisis, a time when things could turn either way. A strong man could still turn it around. Some people have even suggested that Yeltsin may be "that man of sin" (2Th.2:3)—Yelt-sin—& some people have suggested that he has got a fierce countenance when he really gets stern & excited, angry! Well, maybe so. But I don't think he exactly has the anointing yet, or the actual possession of Diablo. But who knows? Maybe the Devil's just taking it easy & trying to kind of slip in gradually so that he won't be too well recognised yet. Could be!

118. We know one thing, it's gotta be soon, one way or the other‚ & we know which way it's going to go because the Bible has told us. Amen? PTL!

YELTSIN—MAN OF THE MOMENT!

(A few days later: )

119. I like this guy Yeltsin, he's a real rebel‚ he defied them all! George Bush & others told him how to run Russia & to stick to Gorbachev. France told him to watch his step. Listen to this article about him:

120. "In the U.S. he was called a demagogue‚ a buffoon. Only at home did people take him seriously. They called him a boor in the U.S. His strength is his popular touch. He appeals to the people. He revels in crowds & he's the man of the moment. He was born a peasant in 1931 & had a rough childhood. He broke his nose in one of many gang fights & lost two fingers in playing with a stolen hand grenade. As a teenager he threw himself into sports before settling down as a civil engineer.

121. "He joined the Communist Party in '61 when he was 30 & became first Secretary or Mayor of Sverdlovsk about the same time that Gorbachev occupied the same position in Stavropol in Southern Russia. He's from Northern Russia & Gorbachev is from Southern Russia. When Gorbachev became Party General Secretary in '85, Yeltsin was brought to Moscow to become Mayor. Yeltsin publicly denounced failings in the city & attacked the privileges of the elite. He took buses & metros, queued for food & then blurted out his disgust at what he found."—In other words, he suffered with the people.

122. "In September '87 he was forced from his sick bed to hear the criticism of his performance & be dumped from his post by Gorby."—In other words, for revealing the facts of life that the common people were suffering. Gorbachev didn't like the way he was exposing the failures of his administration & perestroika, so Gorbachev fired him & told him he'd never be allowed back in politics. But Yeltsin fought his way back step by step until he won this year's Russian presidential election! He was fighting against all odds‚ but he made it because the people liked him, because he was speaking for them. (Continues reading article: )

123. "Then Pravda, the Communist press in Russia & the media worldwide began to criticise Yeltsin as a drunk & a buffoon, a demagogue etc. He accused unknown attackers of trying to murder him by dumping him in the Moscow River. He was found by the police soaking wet in a water-logged suit. The hardline Soviet press tried to discredit him by all kinds of accusations, but they were ignored by the blas Russians."

124. After all the crimes the Communists have committed, the things he was accused of were ridiculous! It just shows how wrong the World's leaders can be. Only at home did his people take him really seriously. He revels in crowds & being the man of the moment, like jumping on that tank & defying the System! (Continues reading article: )

125. "Earthly & unintellectual, he is attracted to people. He listens & promises to investigate all complaints. His language is simple, without the twisted Communist terminology of the past. He became a hero in the outlying Soviet Republics when he declared that the laws of Russia were over those of the Soviet Union."

126. (Maria: What do you have to say about Gorbachev resigning?) Well, he's only resigned as Secretary of the Communist Party, he has not resigned as President of the Soviet Union.—But that doesn't mean very much now with Yeltsin calling the shots. (Continues article:)

127. "Gorbachev then tried to reach a compromise with him, but when Gorbachev raised the prices, Yeltsin was furious. When asked why he couldn't work together with Gorbachev he said, `Because he lies.’ He called Gorbachev the lover of half measures & half steps. He said, `These will eventually be his downfall.'" He said that last year in his autobiography & he sure predicted it right! Gorbachev is a compromiser, a half-hearted compromiser! One thing about Yeltsin, he's wholehearted about whatever he does & says‚ & he doesn't care, he let's the chips fall where they may!

128. Their relations got worse this year when Gorbachev sided with the Conservatives after Yeltsin's election as President of Russia. But Yeltsin was so popular that Gorbachev again backed away from the Conservatives. When he saw that Yeltsin was so popular‚ he swung toward the radicals too. This writer says Gorbachev could play an increasingly international role. In other words, he'd make a good Foreign Minister, a compromiser to please the West. (Continues article: )

129. "There are no miracle solutions to Russia's problems, but Yeltsin makes getting the message across a lot easier."—In other words‚ you can understand what he says instead of Gorbachev's double talk. "The West will have to recognise that Yeltsin is the strong man of the Soviets. He is a typical Russian. The West must stop dealing out morality, & accept him."—In other words, stop preaching at Yeltsin & accept him.

130. Yeltsin is the leader! Gorbachev has lost the leadership by being too vacillating, compromising, weak & especially by his misguided loyalty to the Communists. So God is having His way!—TTL!—And it won't be long now! God bless & keep you, in Jesus' name, amen!

Page 1 pic caption:

A young Muscovite celebrates the fall of Communism in Russia

Page 2 pic caption:

Gennady Yanayev

Page 11 pic caption:

A tired & shaken Mikhail Gorbachev

Page 14 pic caption:

Boris Yeltsin—Determined to change the Soviet Union

Pg. 16 map captions:

BORIS' BAILIWICK*: MOTHER RUSSIA

*Bailiwick: Area of authority or responsibility

(Map of Soviet Union, with Russian Republic in darker shade)

The Russian Republic covers 76% of all Soviet territory. At nearly twice the size of China or the U.S., it is one of the largest political units in the World. It has a population of 147 million (51% of the USSR total). It is responsible for 70% of the Soviet hard–coal production, 91% of the petroleum, & 75% of the natural gas. The Republic produces 58% of the nation's steel‚ 81% of its timber, 60% of its cement. Most Soviet ballistic missile sites are on Russian soil. Major naval bases are at Kaliningrad, Murmansk & Vladivostok.

Kaliningrad

Moscow

Leningrad

Murmansk

Sverdlovsk

Siberia

Vladivostok

RUSSIAN SOVIET FEDERATED SOCIALIST REPUBLIC

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family