[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Nuclear War and Beyond

When elephants clash, smaller animals do well to get out of the way, but who can hide when planet earth is left in rubble? The Cuban missile crisis of 1962 nearly brought the world to the unthinkable, a nuclear exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union—in popular parlance, Armageddon. Although it was understood during those thirteen tense days of October that it was a close call, what we know today is enough to send chills through the spine of the most calloused individual.

Now, decades later, we know the truth about just how close we came to the end of the world as we know it. On today’s Tomorrow’s World program, I’ll reveal to many of you for the first time, just how close we came, and it was a whole lot closer than we knew at the time. In addition, we’ll see that there have been far more Cold War nuclear near misses than are generally known. And I’ll be offering a free resource, Armageddon and Beyond, that shows a nuclear holocaust is not fiction, but also, that there is good news for our future. I’ll be right back with shocking details, so don’t go away!

The Truth About the Cold War Now Understood

Welcome to Tomorrow’s World where we hold out a real hope for a better world. But we also don’t shy away from reality, and the facts are, that there are far more dangers than many realize.

The Cuban Missile Crisis is ancient history to most people alive today. After all, October 1962 was nearly six decades ago, and anyone under the age of 70 probably only has vague memories of it, if any at all. That frightening time is ancient history to younger generations, when two superpowers with weapons of massive destructive power came to the brink of war. Even for those of us who lived through those perilous days, and are old enough to remember, details have faded, and even we did not know the whole story.

We might also add that the subject of history has been de-emphasized in public education in the West and replaced by Social Studies. That substitution for history seemed innocuous enough when I was in school in the late 50’s and early 60’s, but the replacement of history by social studies continues to evolve. In fact, it was a clever sleight of hand. Words have meaning and social studies is not the same as history! Today’s secondary schools and universities, and even primary schools, pump leftist propaganda into young minds in an attempt to transform society and re-write history.

So how can we blame younger generations for lacking understanding of events for which they were never taught and have no context? Even their parents may not know. If they learn anything about the Cuban Missile Crisis it is likely that the Soviet Union and Cuba were victims of Western imperialism. This does not imply that all are in the dark. Not all schools are alike. Some have strong courses in both ancient and modern history; and many very bright young people study on their own and are well-informed. But sadly, this is far from the norm.

Following World War 2, feature films in theaters (at least in the United States) were often preceded by cartoons and newsreels. I still remember how Fidel Castro and his Cuban revolutionaries were praised in these newsreels, but following his successful overthrow of the Batista regime, to the dismay of America and its Western allies, Castro declared his allegiance to communism and the Soviet Union. A potential enemy only 90 miles away created a problem for the United States and Canada. And what affected America would have consequences for the rest of the world.

The reality of the problem became apparent when Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev secretly moved more than 41,000 troops into Cuba between July and October 1962. But more troubling was the discovery that Khrushchev had also ordered medium and intermediate range missiles, capable of carrying nuclear weapons that could reach Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, New York, and Toronto. That was a bridge too far for the North American alliance, and was a direct challenge to John F. Kennedy, the young American president.

Kennedy consulted with top military brass and advisors and chose what history shows was the wise response—to quarantine Cuba. That was a word used to avoid the word blockade—which would amount to a declaration of war. Most of this was known to anyone keeping up with the news at the time, but there was far more going on under the surface that we would have to wait decades to learn, after formerly “Top Secret” documents came to light. Only then would we know how close a call it was. Even today, most people are completely unaware of what has been revealed.

As the crisis unfolded, the Soviet Union sent four submarines to the waters around Cuba. One of them, submarine B-59, was intercepted by the American navy on October 27. It was surrounded and small depth charges like hand grenades, not designed to destroy a sub, but to give a warning, were dropped to force it to the surface. Those on the receiving end of these charges had a very different view from that which was intended. But what the United States did not know at the time was that B-59 was carrying two nuclear tipped torpedoes, each of which carried about two-thirds the explosive power of the Hiroshima A-bomb, enough to take out much of the nearby U.S. fleet.

Conditions aboard the diesel-powered submarine were already uncomfortable, with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees F, (that’s about 38 Celsius). And carbon dioxide build-up contributed to foggy thinking. Further, being below the surface and out of communication with Moscow for so long, those aboard B-59 had no idea what was going on above them. Officers wondered, “Had war begun between the superpowers already?” This was a real possibility. What happened next is bone chilling in retrospect. According to AtomicHeritage.org:

“Vadim Orlov, an intelligence officer aboard the submarine, recalled how the American ships “surrounded us and started to tighten the circle, practicing attacks and dropping depth charges. They exploded right next to the hull. It felt like you were sitting in a metal barrel, which somebody is constantly blasting with a sledgehammer.” ... Orlov remembered Captain Valentin Savitsky shouting, “We’re going to blast them now! We will die, but we will sink them all—we will not disgrace our Navy!” Political officer Ivan Semonovich Maslennikov agreed that they should launch the torpedo” (“Nuclear Close Calls: The Cuban Missile Crisis,” Atomic Heritage Foundation, June 15, 2018).

Had they launched that torpedo, our world would be vastly different than it is today. How different? That’s the rest of the story that has been kept secret.

Armageddon at the Door?

It was October 27, 1962 during the two-week standoff between the two superpowers when the Soviets moved medium and intermediate range missiles into Cuba. A Soviet submarine had been detected trying to get through the American quarantine of Cuba, and the captain of Sub B-59 and a second high ranking official were ready to launch a nuclear tipped torpedo into the U.S. naval fleet. What prevented them? Before the break I said I would reveal the rest of the story. But first, I want to explain what the results would have been if they followed through with that decision.

What is generally unknown, and only revealed with the release of top secret documents decades later, was the planned American response, had that torpedo been launched. The American public and their counterparts in their Western allies in Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, France, and Germany, were deliberately kept in the dark during those years about America’s overwhelming superiority in nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them. We learn from AtomicHeritage.org, that:

Soviet bombers at the time ‘could deliver about 270 nuclear weapons to U.S. territory.’ By contrast, the United States had thousands of warheads that it could deliver via 1,576 Strategic Air Command bombers as well as 183 Atlas and Titan intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), 144 Polaris missiles via nine nuclear submarines, and ten newly-built Minuteman ICBMs” (“Nuclear Close Calls: The Cuban Missile Crisis,” Atomic Heritage Foundation, June 15, 2018).

President Kennedy’s predecessor, Dwight Eisenhower understood war only too well and tried during his presidency to hold the line on the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Nevertheless, the U.S. nuclear arsenal grew massively during his eight years as the leader of the free world. He also believed that there could never be a limited nuclear exchange. Once one bomb went off, it would quickly escalate. Therefore, Eisenhower commissioned his generals to put together a “Single Integrated Operational Plan” (SIOP). This would ultimately reflect the doctrinal thinking of the Air Force’s Strategic Air Command (SAC), as created under the leadership of General Curtis LeMay and his successor General Thomas Powell.

“General Curtis LeMay’s SAC had one war plan, as a naval officer described it in 1954: to leave the Soviet Union ‘a smoking, radioactive ruin in two hours’” (Ike’s Bluff, Thomas, p. 397).

Few Americans, much less others, knew anything about the kind of response a nuclear attack by the Soviet Union, no matter how limited, would bring from the United States. As explained in Evan Thomas’ book, Ike’s Bluff: President Eisenhower’s Secret Battle to Save the World, an overwhelming retaliation would descend upon:

“...the Soviet Union, Red China and the Soviet satellite states in a single cataclysmic blow if the United States were attacked. Under the SIOP, the United States would shoot the works, firing off its entire strategic arsenal of 3,500 weapons. The plan was an exercise in ‘overkill,’ said [George] Kistiakowsky. It would, the science adviser said, ‘kill four or five times over somebody who is already dead.’ Coming back from the briefing for his noon nap, Eisenhower told his naval aide, Captain Pete Aurand, that the SIOP “frightens the devil out of me”” (Ike’s Bluff, Thomas, p. 394).

Overkill was considered necessary since it was unlikely that all bombers would get through to deliver their destructive cargos. The incoming newly elected President Kennedy was briefed on SIOP in December 1960, but he may not have fully comprehended it the first time. As Thomas explains:

“Sometime later, after another SIOP run-through, the young president-elect would remark to his secretary of state, Dean Rusk, with a mixture of wonder and disgust, ‘And they call us human beings.’ But Kennedy and the presidents who followed him throughout the Cold War and beyond did not trim back the SIOP. It in fact grew more complex and fantastically apocalyptic” (Ike’s Bluff, Thomas, p. 399).

A Top Secret report was declassified in 2011 regarding SIOP as it existed in 1962. Estimates of those killed by such a massive response were 212,000,000 people in the USSR and communist China, with an additional 4.4 million in Poland and other Eastern European countries who were under the rule of the USSR (“U.S. War Plans Would Kill an Estimated 108 Million Soviets, 104 Million Chinese, and 2.6 Million Poles: More Evidence on SIOP-62 and the Origins of Overkill,” Unredacted.com, November 8, 2011).

Radioactivity would no doubt take multiple millions of lives in the aftermath, perhaps the reason one report estimated a figure as high as 600,000,000. And this does not include millions of casualties inflicted on the free world, and although perhaps a less overwhelming response, anyone who thinks the Soviet planners were any more civilized is naïve.

So what was it that prevented nuclear Armageddon nearly six decades ago?

Nuclear Safety NOT Guaranteed...

As we saw in the previous portions of this program, those aboard Soviet submarine B-59 were in the dark as to the state of the world above them. This was October 27, 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the U.S. Navy was signaling with small depth charges for the Russians to surface. But Soviet Captain Savitsky and political officer Maslennikov, thinking they were under attack and war may have already begun between the superpowers, agreed to launch a nuclear tipped torpedo. What stopped them?

The Soviet Union was as worried as the United States about an accidental nuclear war. Therefore, their protocol required assenting voices from the three top officers aboard the sub. As explained on AtomicHeritage.org:

The last remaining officer, Second Captain Vasili Alexandrovich Arkhipov, dissented. They did not know for sure that the ship was under attack, he argued. Why not surface and then await orders from Moscow? In the end, Arkhipov’s view prevailed. (“Nuclear Close Calls: The Cuban Missile Crisis,” Atomic Heritage Foundation, June 15, 2018).

That is how close we came to Armageddon—a single dissenting voice!

But do you realize this was only one Cold War near miss involving nuclear weapons? We live in a far more dangerous world than most realize. Other classified documents released in recent years fill in details of other near catastrophes. “Broken Arrow” is a military code used for an accidental event that involves nuclear weapons or components thereof. An April 6, 2019 report revealed the United States and Soviet Union have had at least 32 admitted broken arrow incidents. In six of them, weapons were lost and never found, or deliberately left undisturbed. Most of these involved U.S. weapons, but since the Soviet Union is much more secretive about such things, it is almost certain that there were more.

“The first broken arrow occurred on February 14, 1950, when a U.S. Convair B-36… crashed in northern British Columbia after jettisoning a Mark 4 nuclear bomb into the Pacific Ocean. The bomb was never found…” (“‘Broken Arrows’ - The World’s Lost Nuclear Weapons,” Marcia Wendorf, InterestingEngineering.com, April 6, 2019).

Another broken arrow incident took place at an air base in England.

“On July 27, 1956, a U.S. B-47 bomber was on a training exercise when it crashed into a nuclear weapons storage facility at the Lakenheath Air Base in Suffolk, England. The entire crew of the aircraft was killed. Known as an ‘igloo’, the storage facility contained three Mark 6 nuclear bombs, one of whose detonators had been sheared off in the accident. Investigators concluded that it was a miracle that the bomb hadn’t exploded” (ibid.).

But that wasn’t the only miracle. Here is another incident where “luck” was on our side.

“On January 24, 1961, a B-52 carrying two three- or four-megaton nuclear bombs was over Goldsboro, North Carolina when it suffered the structural failure of its right wing. The aircraft broke apart and the two nuclear weapons were released. On one bomb, three of its four arming mechanisms had activated.

In 2013, a Freedom of Information Act request confirmed that only a single switch out of four had prevented the bomb’s detonation. One of the recovery team recalled, ‘Until my death, I will never forget hearing my sergeant say, “Lieutenant, we found the arm/safe switch.” And I said, “Great.” He said, “Not great. It’s on arm.”’” (ibid.).

What if a broken arrow detonates by accident near enemy territory? What if a nation or rouge state uses one of these weapons against a foe? Will it start a chain reaction that could imperil human life?

The Way of Escape From Armageddon

So far on Tomorrow’s World, we’ve looked at a few close calls for mankind. Nuclear disasters are not so remote as we might have thought. But now, let’s look ahead to the future. According to the Bible, and according to Jesus Christ, there is a crisis coming such as the world has never known. As it tells us in Matthew 24:22:

“And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:22).

Will “Armageddon” involve nuclear weapons? Probably, but what other weapons are out there that we don’t know about? The Biblical book of Revelation describes some kind of weapon that will not kill, but for a period of five months will:

“…torment… like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them” (Revelation 9:5-6).

We cannot deny that there are difficult days ahead, but the fact is that most of us have far greater concerns than fearing an immediate nuclear Armageddon. As with all my generation and those on either side of it, we lived in the shadow of the mushroom cloud. Some of us more than others. My friends and I grew up on Strategic Air Command bases where we understood that in case of war, we were sitting at ground zero, and we had our personal nightmares, but rarely shared them.

It might surprise you, but Bible prophecy was a comfort to me and remains so for many who understand it. During the Cuban Missile Crisis I understood there was nothing to worry about, and despite Soviet sub B-59, that assessment was correct. Yes, it was a tense and critical time when one mistake could have blown the world apart, but according to the Bible, it wasn’t God’s time or place. Now how can I say such a thing?

Some people bring up Jesus statement in Matthew 24:36 that says:

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matthew 24:36).

That is certainly true. We cannot even predict the year, but this passage in no way negates literally dozens of scriptures that show certain events must first take place. In fact, this very scripture that they quote is taken out of context where it shows that we CAN know the approximate time. Notice what it says a few verses earlier.

“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things [as given before], know that it is near—at the doors!” (Matthew 24:32-33).

Knowing what is ahead, both the bad news and the good news, gives peace of mind. Without regard for some awful things on the horizon, those who understand Biblical prophecy can have peace and comfort. There IS a way of escape from Armageddon. Even more importantly, there is the realization that although we will all die, eternal life is offered to us, as Jesus promised:

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (John 11:25-26).

Then He asked the woman that He was speaking to a question that equally applies to you and me:

“Do you believe this?” (John 11:26).

It behooves each of us to know why we were born. Life is precious and precarious—far more resilient than we think at times, but far more fragile in the overall picture. We’re temporary and life is short. There is a God and He gives us the opportunity to live forever. He is evaluating the decisions we make, whether we love Him with all our heart, mind, and being; or whether we follow the crowd and fear man more than God. How amazing it is that so few spend any time searching to prove that God is real, that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, and what His purpose is for mankind. It seems that most are more interested in what is on television tonight, or whether “my team” will win this weekend.

Now if you want to understand more of what is prophesied for the last days, call, write, or go to our website to order Armageddon and Beyond. Everything we have to offer is, of course, sent free of charge, and we don’t sell your contact information to anyone—we never have, and we never will. To learn more about future events that will affect you and your family, continue to watch Tomorrow’s World, where Richard Ames, Wallace Smith, and I, along with guest presenter Rod McNair, will bring you more information about today’s issues and the glorious hope of tomorrow’s world.

[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Becoming a True Success, God’s Way

Have you ever felt like a failure? Many famous and successful individuals experience disappointments, trials, and failures before they finally advance in life. The famous inventor, Thomas Alva Edison, viewed his disappointing experiments with a positive attitude. He once said: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

Many people define success by money, wealth, and material possessions. Some look to the ups and downs of the stock market to find success. Others hope they can find some “get rich quick” scheme as an easy road to riches. Others pride themselves on physical beauty, or on positions of power. Some value popularity as success. But all of these measures of success are temporary. TRUE success in life is defined by LASTING values that society cannot take away.

Many ordinary people who considered themselves under-achievers or lacking potential, have found the way to TRUE success. What was their secret? The Seven Laws of Success. On today’s program, we’ll discuss seven principles for true success.

What is the Highest Goal in Life?

Too many people equate success with monetary wealth. They want to get rich quick. Gambling casinos are very popular, and they can profit billions of dollars each year. Listen to this report on the gambling industry: “Visiting casinos is not the only way to gamble. Another growing segment of the gambling industry is online. The global market size of online gambling was forecasted to reach over 59 billion U.S. dollars in 2020, growing by around 20 billion U.S. dollars in just five years. The largest share of this industry segment is made up of casino gambling and sports betting” (“Gambling Industry in the U.S. - Statistics & Facts,” Statista Research Department, July 24, 2018).

Is gambling the secret way to true success? Of course not. In fact, one of the proverbs in your Bible gives this warning: PROVERBS 23 and verse 4, “Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven” (Proverbs 23:4-5).

That’s what happens when you don’t apply the Seven Laws of Success! Just what is true success? And what are the Seven Laws of Success? On today’s program, we’ll answer those questions. And we’ll be offering you an inspiring FREE audio CD, THE SEVEN LAWS OF SUCCESS. This 80-minute CD contains three Tomorrow’s World programs: The Seven Laws of Success, Vital Keys to Happiness, and Peace of Mind Through Prayer. You need this vital information. Be sure to request your free copy!

One of the wealthiest individuals who ever lived was ancient King Solomon of Israel. He was striving to experience “life to the full.” What did he discover? ECCLESIASTES 2 and verse 10, “Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart rejoiced in all my labor; and this was my reward from all my labor. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was VANITY and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11).

Solomon designed and engineered many complex projects including irrigation systems, symphonic orchestras, and choral groups. He held great treasures of silver and gold. He states in ECCLESIASTES 2 and verse 7, “I acquired male and female servants, and had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and musical instruments of all kinds. So I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me” (vv. 7-9).

King Solomon also had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Did they give him lasting happiness? His wives eventually persuaded him to worship false gods, and he paid a dear penalty! With his wisdom that remained, Solomon understood that a lifestyle WITHOUT the security, blessing, and guidance of Almighty God was a striving after wind, worthlessness, and vanity. Are YOU living a life of vanity? Now is the time to start applying the Seven Laws of Success. Perhaps you are applying four or five, but let’s consider all seven!

Many decades ago, the predecessor of this Work, Herbert W. Armstrong, pioneered seven Biblical principles, which he called, “The Seven Laws of Success.” These principles can help you, your family, and your children. What are those seven laws? LAW NUMBER ONE is: Set the Right Goal. Successful people know that to accomplish anything of value, we need to set goals. If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re not going to get there.

Goal-oriented people set long-term and short-term goals. And if the goal is important to them, they will make strong commitments to do all they can to achieve their goals.

We previously saw that ancient King Solomon achieved many goals, but he realized that those goals did not give lasting value and success. He called life’s routines “vanity,” a striving after wind, without lasting value. What will give you lasting happiness and true success? Turn in your Bible to MATTHEW the 6th chapter. Here Jesus tells us that we need not anxiously worry about food and clothing. That if God provides food for the birds of the air, He will much more provide food for His children. Jesus was saying that all of the necessities we anxiously worry about are SECONDARY to the most important goal of all. MATTHEW 6 verse 33. Jesus said, “...seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Yes, setting the right goal produces true success if you follow all of the Seven Laws of Success. My friends, our ultimate goal is the Kingdom of God. SUCCESS LAW NUMBER ONE is: Set the Right Goal.

Six More Steps Towards Ultimate Achievement and Fulfillment

It’s good to be committed to our goals, but what will we have achieved at the end of our lifetime IF those goals do not lead to godly character and abundant living now, and later on in the Kingdom of God? We must be sure that our goals contribute to lasting values. SUCCESS LAW NUMBER ONE is: Set the Right Goal. LAW NUMBER TWO is: Educate (or Prepare) Yourself.

What KNOWLEDGE do you need to achieve your goal? What PREPARATIONS must you make? If you’re choosing a career as a craftsman, you will need to work as an apprentice before you can be a journeyman. And many professions require at least a college education, if not an advanced degree. More than ever, we need to increase our knowledge just to keep up with our goals. We should never stop learning. But make sure that the knowledge you are learning is TRUE KNOWLEDGE. In the book of PROVERBS, we are told that TRUE knowledge begins with an awe, reverence, and acknowledgement of God as the SOURCE of wisdom and knowledge. PROVERBS 1 verse 7, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of KNOWLEDGE, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

And again in PROVERBS 9:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of WISDOM, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Are you growing in wisdom? Are you growing in the grace and KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST, as it states in 2 PETER 3 verse18? Our Savior is the KEY to TRUE CHRISTIAN SUCCESS! To reach your goal, you need to educate yourself and prepare to achieve that goal, whether physically or spiritually. You need GODLY wisdom and knowledge! The SECOND LAW OF SUCCESS is: Educate (or Prepare) Yourself.

The THIRD LAW OF SUCCESS is: Maintain Good Health. How healthy are you? Do you have energy and vigor to work hard and accomplish? Our fast-food, high-fat, high-sugar diet mentality is not the steady diet God intended for humans. A polluted environment may harm our health. And REGULAR EXERCISE is important. The Apostle Paul told the evangelist Timothy, “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:8). Again, the Bible emphasizes the spiritual dimension in our lives. But we ALSO have a responsibility to honor God in our body, as it tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:20. You will be better able to achieve your goals if you strive for physical fitness. THE THIRD LAW OF SUCCESS is: Maintain Good Health.

LAW NUMBER FOUR is: Drive Yourself! Mr. Herbert Armstrong called this an “all-important law.” He wrote, “You will always find that the executive head of any growing, successful organization employs drive! He puts a constant prod on himself. He not only drives himself, he drives those under him, else they might lag, let down and stagnate” (The Seven Laws of Success, 1974, p. 44).

Yes, we need to put a prod on ourselves to move. The book of PROVERBS gives us a graphic illustration. PROVERBS 6 and verse 6, “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep—so shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man” (v. 6-11).

Proper rest is essential, but God warns against being lazy! We all need energy and purpose. We need to discipline ourselves to work effectively. THE FOURTH LAW OF SUCCESS is: Drive Yourself!

THE FIFTH LAW OF SUCCESS is: Apply Resourcefulness. Think of this as “the emergency law.” Perhaps the road ahead to your planned career or goal looks clear and smooth. But life often brings unexpected obstacles. You may suddenly face a financial problem, or health emergency. What will you do?

Always investigate your options. What resources are available? What agencies or individuals can help? Of course, the first step is to ask for God’s help. Remember when Jesus came walking on the water to His disciples? The Apostle Peter wanted to do the same. So Jesus told Peter here in MATTHEW 14:29, “‘Come.’ And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’” (v. 29-30).

Ask God to save you out of your predicament. But be sure to do your part and search out all the resources available. Don’t just give up. Ask for wise counsel. PROVERBS 15:22, “Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.” THE FIFTH LAW OF SUCCESS is: Apply Resourcefulness.

THE SIXTH LAW OF SUCCESS is: Persevere Toward Your Goal. Always have perseverance—stick-to-it-iveness, as Herbert Armstrong described it.

During World War II when the future looked gloomy for Great Britain, Prime Minister Winston Churchill spoke on October 29, 1941 at the Harrow School. He inspired his audience to persevere. He said, “...[S]urely from this period of ten months this is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. We stood all alone a year ago, and to many countries it seemed that our account was closed, we were finished...” (“Never Give In, Never, Never, Never, 1941,” Speech, Harrow School, October 29, 1941).

Yes, we all need to persevere! Those who respond to God’s calling are in a spiritual race to persevere. Hebrews the twelfth chapter encourages us to look forward to our final goal. HEBREWS the twelfth chapter, verse 1, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with ENDURANCE the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (v. 1-2).

Apply the SIXTH LAW OF SUCCESS. Run the race with endurance, or “patience” as the King James Version has it, or “perseverance” as the NRSV translates it. Never give up! Run the race of life with perseverance. THE SIXTH LAW OF SUCCESS is: Persevere Toward Your Goal. 

LAW NUMBER SEVEN is the most important principle for achieving success. We’ll discuss it in the next part of our program.

Seek a True Relationship With Your Creator

When you apply the Seven Laws of Success, you need the right motivation and attitude. The world has produced thousands of books on becoming successful, rich, and famous. But the problem, my friends, as we emphasized earlier, is that the world seeks the wrong kind of success. The world defines success as possession, power, and position. The advertising world promotes success as having material possessions: such as expensive autos, fine jewelry, large mansions, and yachts. But electronic toys, buildings, and cars do not produce lasting happiness. 

There are two ways of life: the way of give and the way of get! Your Bible reveals the simple and yet most profound way of living. If you have a Bible, be sure to mark this scripture in ACTS 20 verse 35. Jesus stated, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Or as the Moffatt translation has it, “To give is happier than to get.”

God’s way of success is to serve, help, care, and give. Whatever positions we may hold in this life, it will never amount to TRUE SUCCESS unless it is one of GODLY SERVICE toward others. Listen! One of the measures of TRUE SUCCESS is the degree of godly service we are willing to give. Emphasis on GIVE. False success relies on the GET principle, the selfish default characteristic of human nature! 

Applying the attitude of service, the laws of success can produce true and LASTING success. That way of life yields happiness, fulfillment and peace of mind. So far, we have briefly discussed six of the Seven Laws of Success.

LAW NUMBER ONE: Set the Right Goal

LAW NUMBER TWO: Educate (or Prepare) Yourself

LAW NUMBER THREE: Maintain Good Health

LAW NUMBER FOUR: Drive Yourself!

LAW NUMBER FIVE; Apply Resourcefulness

And LAW NUMBER SIX: Persevere Toward Your Goal

These six laws are vital and extremely important! But to practice them successfully, you need the vital SEVENTH LAW for true success. THE SEVENTH LAW OF SUCCESS is: Seek God’s Continual Guidance.

You may ask, “How can I have God’s continual guidance?” The simple answer is: you pray to Him, you acknowledge Him! Listen to this wonderful promise in PROVERBS the third chapter, verse 5: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (v. 5-6).

God PROMISES that He will direct your paths and guide you through life to fulfill your human potential and ultimate destiny. But we must PRAY DAILY, and we must ACT on His priceless promises. Another of God’s wonderful promises is found in ISAIAH 55 verse 6, “Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (v. 6-7). As you begin to pray, as you begin to change your whole way of life to God’s way of true success, He will forgive you through the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. God has promised that He will have mercy on you and pardon you, IF you repent and seek Him.

When you come to a crossroads, when you are faced with decisions, PRAY and ask for God’s will to be done in your life. He has promised to GUIDE you, and be WITH you. As Jesus promised us in Hebrews 13 verse 5, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” THE SEVENTH LAW OF SUCCESS is: Seek God’s Continual Guidance.

I encourage you to apply ALL SEVEN laws of success. If you do, you will come to find the true abundant life Jesus promised in JOHN 10 and verse 10, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

In the conclusion of our program, we will see some of the amazing benefits of applying all seven laws of success.

True Success Through the Savior of the World

As you apply the Seven Laws of Success, you’ll enjoy God’s blessings and TRUE success. God wants us to live happy, abundant lives. But many make the mistake of setting happiness as an end or a goal in itself. As a result, they become frustrated. Commentator Dennis Prager points out that one “secret” to happiness “...is realizing that happiness is a byproduct of something else. The most obvious sources are those pursuits that give our lives purpose-anything from studying insects to playing baseball. The more passions we have, the more happiness we’re likely to experience.” (“A Simple Truth About Happiness,” Reader’s Digest, June 1998, p. 99). Of course, the greatest happiness comes as a byproduct of having the greatest purpose: seeking God’s Kingdom.

Can YOU really succeed? Can you experience true Christian success? As the Apostle Paul stated in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” My friends, THE BIBLE reveals the unseen, immutable laws of life. When we’re in harmony with those principles and instructions, we are blessed. In fact from the beginning of the Bible to the end, you will find that obedience to God’s way of life brings blessings, and disobedience to God’s way of life brings curses. The world’s criteria for success: possessions, power, position, and pleasure—only bring pain, suffering, failure, and death. Those whose brand of success is self-indulgence, self-aggrandizement, and self-centeredness, harm themselves AND others.  True success comes only through the Savior of the world who taught us to love our enemies, to lay down our lives for one another, and to live by every word of God. When we do that through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will live a truly happy, productive, and successful life, because we will be helping others into the Kingdom of God. And remember that the Holy Spirit is God’s gift to those who repent and are baptized. 

Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 10 verse 8, “Freely you have received, freely give.” We strive to do that on this program. Be sure to request your inspiring free audio CD on THE SEVEN LAWS OF SUCCESS. The Tomorrow’s World telecast, magazine, Bible Study Course, and all the other free materials we offer, are dedicated to EDUCATING millions to Biblical truth,  so that they may be successful in this life, inherit the kingdom, and experience true success for all eternity.