In a letter to God’s Church dated Sept. 23, 1985, Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this: “Since last December I have been working diligently on the largest and most important book in my life. In real fact I feel I myself did not write it. Rather, I believe God used me in writing it. I candidly feel it may be the most important book since the Bible! We want to reach the largest audience possible with this book. I know you will feel the same way when you read it.

“This new book Mystery of the Ages unveils all these mysteries. It puts the many different parts of the ‘jigsaw puzzle’ together. It is, in fact, a synopsis of the entire Bible. It is my prayer that you will read it along with your Bible—that it will make your Bible come alive and understandable. And with God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in you, I feel sure that it will. I am now in my 94th year and I feel that this book is the most valuable gift I could possibly give you. This book is a partial expression of my thanks and gratitude to you for being a co-laborer with me and Jesus Christ. With all my heart, I do appreciate and thank God for your part with me in the wonderful work in these closing days” (emphasis mine throughout).

A little over a month later, Mr. Armstrong wrote in a co-worker letter, “With the writing of the new book Mystery of the Ages God has helped me this year to do the best work of my 93 years of life!” (Nov. 25, 1985).

Mr. Armstrong was sick during the 1985 Feast of Tabernacles. A tape was played of his sermon the previous year. It was preceded by a videotaped segment about Mystery of the Ages in which this book was called Mr. Armstrong’s “most important and significant work”! This was said about three months before his death.

Each member and co-worker was given a hardback copy. It was run serially in the Plain Truth. Ads were placed in trade journals around the United States. Full page ads were run in the most prestigious business paper in the U.S.—the Wall Street Journal. There were extensive ads in magazines and newspapers.

Mystery of the Ages was like the magnificent summary of all Mr. Armstrong’s work—the accumulated knowledge of his entire ministry. This book, more than any other piece of literature, was what Mr. Armstrong and God’s Work were about during the Philadelphia era.

Mr. Armstrong said, “I feel I myself did not write it. Rather, I believe God used me in writing it.” Those are inspiring and frightening words. If they are true, then those words flowed right out of the mind of the living, all-powerful God! Anybody who reads and studies Mystery of the Ages would surely have to agree.

Mystery of the Ages sums up God’s Work through Mr. Armstrong. Surely Christ must have personally directed and inspired such a critical, end-time message.

I believe our greatest shame today would be rejecting that book!

Mr. Armstrong wanted it to reach “the largest audience possible.” If you comprehend the message of that book, this has to be God’s desire also. We must let God use us to get this book to “the largest audience possible.”

I believe “the largest audience possible” should become our battle cry today! Now is the great moment for God’s Philadelphians. This is our most critical hour. We must pick up the dropped baton and finish the gun lap! We must stretch and strain to win the greatest race we will ever run!

This must be God’s supreme goal for His Philadelphian elect today. He inspired those words, “the largest audience possible.” That expression came from God’s own mind! You can see that clearly if you truly understand Mystery of the Ages. We must not fail God. So much hangs in the balance—even reaching into the universe and living for all eternity.

If you don’t have a copy of Mystery of the Ages, please write for one! It is a huge book and it’s free.

Mr. Armstrong asked the ministers to have each prospective member read Mystery of the Ages before he or she was baptized. This is the most important book a prospective member could read before baptism. These people can then understand the whole Bible. It will no longer be a mystery.

We will freely give Mystery of the Ages to anyone who requests it. We have what I believe time will prove to be the most powerful book ever written about the Bible! Anybody in the world can easily understand the message. we can now reach any person on Earth and bring him or her to conversion. We can “make disciples” in all the world with one book.

My book Malachi’s Message was mainly revealed for Church members and those familiar with what Mr. Armstrong taught. So you can see how, suddenly, we now have a message for billions of people, not just a few hundred thousand!

Our work now is to get a final warning trumpet blast to every person on this planet, which is plunging headlong to its death! It will take a supreme effort from each member of the very elect to achieve God’s goal for us.

If God’s message is to be thundered around the world during the Laodicean era, the Philadelphia Church of God must do it! Nobody else will!

If we do, exciting and majestic miracles will accompany this work and your individual life. Remember, God says, “I am with you always.” The harder we work, the more powerful are God’s miracles.

Can we meet the challenge?

Are you ready? Am I ready? We have an unparalleled opportunity. In terms of numbers of people, we can be the fewest people to do the greatest work ever on this Earth! Most of God’s own people have rebelled against this honor.

In the midst of the Earth’s greatest suffering, we get to announce the return of Jesus Christ. If we properly do our job, our reward will dazzle God’s Family for all eternity!

The greatest single gift we can give to the world is Mystery of the Ages. Let’s think and work like God and give it to “the largest audience possible”!