Have you ever met an emperor, king, queen, president, prime minister, ambassador or diplomat? The answer for most is probably no.

The ancient Prophet Jeremiah, Daniel and the Apostle Paul were called of God to “bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15).

“And now, kings, presidents, prime ministers and leaders of many nations are inviting me,” Herbert Armstrong reminded co-workers Sept. 24, 1973, amid a Southeast Asian trip.

During the decade of the 1970s, Stanley Rader served as general counsel to Mr. Armstrong and almost always accompanied him hundreds of days per year as he fulfilled the Matthew 24:14 witness, preaching the good news of the coming Kingdom of God.

During that decade, Mr. Rader was instrumental in coordinating not only meetings with world leaders, but also the follow-up humanitarian projects that were coordinated between leaders, their national governments and the Ambassador International Cultural Foundation.

In his book Against the Gates of Hell, Rader recalled the astounding exploits and favor afforded God’s representative of His gospel, citing him as an “ambassador of world peace.”

As general counsel, Rader was prime witness to the hospitality, honor and respect world leaders gave Mr. Armstrong. In the process, he obtained a most unique vantage point in observing Herbert Armstrong in action. This is worthy of our recall and consideration.

After referring to the gospel “announcement” brought by Mr. Armstrong to global leaders, Rader identified two additional supports in association with this primary commission given to God’s true Church.

“It may seem surprising that the doors of imperial palaces and official residences are opened wide for a smiling, white-haired man,” he wrote.

Yet there are sound reasons why.First, to establish and develop programs that are meaningful, relevant, and important to each nation we visit and to the people involved, so that they may live fuller and more abundant lives.And second, to create a better understanding between people to further the cause of world peace.National leaders have read about, and often seen for themselves, the throngs surging to hear him and the ovations he has received.

He cited reports of the trust and “confidence other leaders have placed in him,” the intelligence such elite shapers of governments willingly gave to him, along with his track record as “builder of bridges between nations.”

They feel free to discuss their most pressing international and domestic problems with him in intimate detail. I have had the honor of attending many of these conferences and have noted the depth of sincerity with which he has been greeted, the deference paid to him, the close attention given by state heads to his counsel.

Mr. Rader recalled the numerous instances of meetings set for only a few minutes extended into anywhere up to 30, 60 or 90 minutes, “while important personages cooled their heels in antechambers.”

He observed Mr. Armstrong had “found a certain advantage in his status as an unofficial ambassador that no credentialed envoy could enjoy.”

“Mr. Armstrong has been asked to be the bearer of personal messages from one leader to another, messages that could not be sent over usual diplomatic channels,” Rader wrote.

He concluded his reflections of the man he called “ambassador for world peace” by writing, “Few men in world history have garnered so many tributes from so many world leaders.”

The tragedy for Stanley Rader was his eventual removal as general counsel by Mr. Armstrong and his departure from the church which he had served administratively for a long period and even briefly as an evangelist. He ultimately rejected the very gospel message of God, which he had so often personally witnessed being delivered personally by Mr. Armstrong at world capitals in the presence of national dignitaries.

In like manner, after Mr. Armstrong’s death, tens of thousands would eventually walk away from God, ceasing their support for Christ’s gospel commission and rejecting the doctrines of the true Church, refusing to honor the legacy of his life’s work.

A quarter of a century has elapsed since numerous requests were made in eulogies by world leaders at the time of his death expressing the hope that the legacy and work of Mr. Armstrong be continued. Should we not be very thankful for Gerald Flurry and his faithful assistant, the late John Amos, for their boldness, dogged faith and courage in standing up to those who sought to destroy that legacy, when they faced Mr. Armstrong’s opponents down, just four years after his death? They stepped out in faith to continue the work in the spirit of that legacy.

For a recounting of those events that led to this legacy being passed from the original institution to which it was gifted, request Malachi’s Message from this website.

For 22 years, our editor in chief has battled opposition from offshoots of the church that Mr. Armstrong once led. Our book Raising the Ruins reveals more of the titanic six-year legal battle that ensued with the main antagonist. The resultant victory over that antagonist enables you to daily enjoy and partake of the bountiful fruits of Mr. Armstrong’s writings in the spirit of his perpetuated legacy.

The time is fast approaching for the returning Jesus Christ to liberate society from its ignorance of the incredible human potential.

What more can you do in support of spreading the great gospel message of hope that is now being prophesied again to a world held captive in mass ignorance of its future?

The time for you to act to gain the knowledge of that which leads to this great event and to be directly involved in supporting the work that freely shares that knowledge with the general public is fast running out.

Consider your course of action carefully—go to God, pray for guidance, and act in faith. Remember, we are all accountable for the knowledge we are given. It is of no value unless acted upon!

Thankfully there have remained a few thousand who remember, value and fight to uphold Herbert Armstrong’s legacy, who work to revive it. They especially work so that others who once possessed this knowledge can recall it in the light of the present-day fulfillment of so many Bible prophecies that Herbert Armstrong brought to light during his long and fruitful ministry.

That history of the spectacular, miraculous work and unique gospel message that reached the world’s leading minds through Herbert Armstrong is undeniable.

In the most simple of terms, that message was to trump the soul-destroying worldly way of get with the godly way of give in the lives of those who, in Herbert Armstrong’s terms, truly “got it!”