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C O N T E N T S
Chapter 1---God's Promise To Send Elijah the Prophet
Chapter 2---America and Britain Identified in Bible Prophecy
Chapter 3---Seven Proofs Herbert W Armstrong was The Endtime Elijah
Proof #1: HWA Confirmed he is The Endtime Elijah
Chapter 4---Proof #2: HWA Operated at the Time of The Endtime Elijah
Chapter 5---Proof #3: HWA Ministered to the Constituency of The Endtime Elijah
Chapter 6---Proof #4: HWA Turned the Heart of the Fathers to the
Children, and Vice-Versa, as Prophesied
Chapter 7---Proof #5: HWA Promoted the Law of Moses, as The Endtime Elijah Must
Chapter 8---Proof #6: HWA Restored All Things as The Endtime Elijah has to
Chapter 9---Proof #7: HWA Was a Prophet, as The Endtime Elijah was Predicted to be
Chapter 10--Can One of The Two Witnesses be Elijah?
Chapter 11--The Second Coming of Satan
Chapter 12--The Great Falling Away (from Elijah's Restored Truth)
Part 1:
How the Church of God (Worldwide) Was Hypnotized!
Chapter 13--Part 2: How "The Plain Truth" Magazine was Hijacked
Chapter 14--Chart Showing the Rise and Fall of Literal and
Spiritual Israel (Britain, America, and the Church)
Chapter 15--153 Signs Advertizing the Coming of the Messiah
Chapter 16--Where Are We in Bible Prophecy Now?
Chapter 17--Where There is No Vision, The People Perish
Chapter 18--"Though I Have The Gift of Prophecy--Without Love I Am Nothing"
Chapter 1
God's Promise To Send Elijah
For about 2500 years God's clear promise, "I will send you
Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD," has remained unfulfilled in the closing verses of the
Bible's Book of Malachi.
Unless that promise is fulfilled, no other Bible prophecy can
be trusted to be reliable.
At last, verification of this modern prophet's arrival, and
proof of his identity, can be corroborated.
This has profound implications for everyone. Unless Elijah
came, God said he would utterly destroy the Earth!
Orthodox Jews still symbolically reserve a place at the
Passover meal each year in expectation of Elijah's arrival. Most
of the 2,000,000,000 Christians seem to overlook this crucial
prophecy.
Few have been aware of the endtime Elijah's arrival, or even
understood that he is the most prominent Jewish prophet of our age.
Like John the Baptist who was his forerunner, "Elijah has come, but
they did not recognize who he was".
A skilled editor/publisher/broadcaster/educator the final
Elijah acknowledged genealogical proof that his mother was
descended from King David, making him a prophet with Jewish Royal
blood. He both taught and observed the Law of God with rare
insight, and clearly recognized that the genuine Messiah is the
real Jesus of Scripture, now glorified in Heaven, who is coming
soon to rule the world with a rod of iron. He exposed the
imitation gentle 'Jesus' promoted at Xmas and in Sunday Schools as
a myth adopted from pagan Babylonian religion.
No-one in history has more widely promoted the truth than
this authentic latter-day Elijah, that the Jews (Judah) are only
one of the 12 Tribes of Israel. And, that the Anglo-Saxons of
America and Britain are the leading and birthright Tribe
(Joseph)--the chief modern descendants of ancient Israel.
No-one has warned the modern descendants of the "Lost Tribes
of Israel", in plainer language; more boldly; for a longer period;
and on a wider scale: Unless the USA and UK return to genuine
Bible-based worship of the true God, they will be taken into
national captivity by today's generation of their ancient enemy--
who now dominates the rising European beast power already
threatening British and American sovereignty.
No-one has more vigorously warned of the many troubles America
and Britain are now facing--which are leading to the unprecedented
Holocaust which Daniel the prophet foretold will eclipse World War
2 (Daniel 11:40-45; 12:1). The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
and Jesus of Nazareth, also predicted this unprecedented time of
world trouble, called THE GREAT TRIBULATION.
Understanding the prophetic identity of the endtime Elijah is
also the key to understanding where we are now in Bible prophecy.
There is no more extensive volume covering the real Elijah's
identity. This book will be of particular interest to the
100,000,000 or more people who--without realizing who he really
was--read Elijah's bold prophecies or heard the prophet's striking
voice, during the five decades he edited "The Plain Truth"
magazine, and made the daily "The World Tomorrow" radio and TV
broadcasts.
This book shows God has fulfilled his promise, and identifies
the only person who can possibly be the genuine modern prophet
Elijah.
Professing Christians and Jews, at least, ought to recognize
that the massive knowledge explosion and phenomenon of extensive
worldwide travel--of the last about 70 years--are the very
characteristics Daniel the famous Bible prophet predicted would
dominate the endtime.
The endtime Elijah's Restoration or revival in a worldwide
church, is a prototype of, and will be followed by, the Messiah's
Restitution of the literal Government of God on Earth.
Not only is the endtime Elijah a descendant of the Royal House
of King David, he was the most prominent Jewish prophet of the 20th
Century. He visited the modern State of Israel over 40 times,
officially met with a succession of her Prime Ministers starting
with Golda Meir, Jerusalem's famous Mayor Teddy Kollek, and other
leaders of the Jewish state.
This Elijah principally preached to Britons and Americans, who
more than any nations have promoted the Bible. These Anglo-Saxons
(and also Celts) are not only the spiritual descendants of the Lost
Tribes of Israel, but their literal descendants.
Call it one of the greatest solved mysteries of the last 2500
years. Call it the ultimate positive identification of a missing
person. In reality this book is a confirmation that God has
faithfully kept his promise to Israel, to send the endtime Elijah.
It shows God has fulfilled his promise; and demonstrates why only
the person identified can possibly be the genuine modern prophet
Elijah.
THE PLAIN TRUTH IS THAT ELIJAH HAS COME ALREADY!
In the Hebrew Bible, after the major prophecies of Isaiah,
Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, come the 12 minor (or shorter) prophetic
books, of which Malachi is the last. Malachi is also positioned as
the last book before the New Testament in the Christian Bible.
The last section of Malachi contains God's promise to send the
endtime Elijah.
It's as if the last prophetic thing God wants to remind the
reader, is that he is going to send Elijah before he sends the
Messiah:
"Behold, I WILL SEND YOU ELIJAH the prophet BEFORE
the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD..."
While religious Jews may still observe their Passover ritual
of waiting for Elijah, few Christians are looking for this prophet.
This ought not to be the case, since God is faithful. His
Word is certain. The Messiah cannot appear before Elijah does.
The search for Elijah should be more intense than America's
search for the much wanted Osama bin Laden, accused of
masterminding the September 11, 2001 attack on New York City's
World Trade Center.
Sadly, faith in God's promises has eroded immensely with the
explosion of secular knowledge. Few in today's world know of God's
promise to send Elijah. Very few have tried to identify him.
The original prophet Elijah was a prototype of the endtime
Elijah, in that he restored a knowledge of the true God in ancient
Israel. He burst onto the scene seemingly from nowhere (in 1 Kings
17).
In the next chapter, the Bible describes how God used him to
destroy the prophets of Baal, who had seduced Israel with their
counterfeit religion, and pagan 'Lord', which amounted to
worshipping Satan.
On January 7, 1934--seemingly from nowhere--at age 42, but
with a wealth of experience in business, advertizing, and life,
plus eight years of serious independent Bible Study behind him,
Herbert W Armstrong burst on the American scene with what became
THE WORLD TOMORROW radio broadcast, (and
The PLAIN TRUTH magazine, less than a month later).
For decades these 30-minute ad-libbed programs of Mr Armstrong
(and later his youngest son, Garner Ted Armstrong), consumed more
radio time than any other in history, eventually on over 600
stations simultaneously.
Herbert W Armstrong's message was right out of the pages of
the Bible, but as up-to-date as the latest news bulletin:
GOD IS SOON GOING TO ESTABLISH HIS KINGDOM ON EARTH,
WITH HEADQUARTERS AT JERUSALEM,
UNDER THE RULERSHIP OF THE MESSIAH.
It was the same message the Apostle Peter referred to--"the
times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the
mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began" (Acts 3:21).
That statement should galvanize the alert reader to the
realization that here indeed was a genuine prophet of God.
Before the Messiah and God's Kingdom arrive, however, the
world has some very serious lessons to learn. They involve the
same lesson the original Elijah taught the prophets of Baal:
Recognize and worship the genuine God, or face obliteration. See
1 Kings 18.
In his day, John the Baptist was asked whether he was the
expected Elijah. John admitted he wasn't (John 1:19-21). However,
the Bible notes that John was the endtime Elijah's prototype, and
the antetype of the original Elijah. He came in their spirit.
(Luke 1:17). John paved the way for the Messiah's first, human
appearance, whereas the latter-day Elijah prepares the way for the
Messiah's glorious Second Coming.
Jesus, the Christ--or Anointed One--the Messiah, also said,
"...This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath
sent" (John 6:29).
While he was referring to the fact that God sent him, in
principle this statement is true of anyone God sends. It most
definitely applies in principle to the endtime Elijah whom God
promised he would send.
Therefore, to deny that Elijah is Elijah, is to fail to do the
Work of God. It also denies God fulfilled his promise to send that
prophet to do the Almighty's Work.
Interestingly, one of the key phrases Herbert W Armstrong
used was "do the Work of God". He applied this to what he was
doing as the endtime Apostle, in preaching the same Gospel of the
Kingdom of God which Christ proclaimed and commanded be preached to
all nations, with the support of his disciples. (See Matthew
24:14; 28:19-20).
"Apostle" means "one sent forth" by God.
The Bible predicts no more than three major endtime genuine
prophets of God will arise. These are Elijah the prophet, and the
Two Witnesses described in Revelation 11 and Zechariah 4. By
definition they are the last Apostles whom God will send before the
arrival of the Messiah.
An idea that goes back to first century Jerusalem is that one
of the Two Witnesses will be Elijah. It's an idea that some
believe even today, and can only be true if a remarkable miracle
occurs, which will be discussed in Chapter 10.
The mission of the endtime Elijah is one of Restoration.
Restoration of the comprehensive teachings of the Spiritual Temple,
or Church of God, and Restoration of the Government of God on Earth
in the Church. This foreshadows what Christ will later accomplish
in greater Israel and in all the world.
Restoration of any building is by its nature a lengthy
process. Christ's Restoration will be accomplished over a thousand
years. By contrast, the mission of the Two Witnesses is
short--1260 days--and involves destruction, a rapid process.
From the time Herbert W Armstrong was first called and started
a proper restoration of how to observe the genuine seventh-day
weekly Sabbath, in its spiritual intent, in 1926--until the
completion of his Restoration in 1986--was about 60 years. That is
a much more realistic length of time than 1260 days, for Elijah to
accomplish his major Restoration of "all things", (as Jesus
described the endtime Elijah's mission in Revelation 17:11).
Shortly before the Messiah's arrival, the whole world (except
a minority of God-fearing folk) will celebrate the death of the Two
Witnesses "...because these two prophets TORMENTED
THEM that dwelt on the earth" (Revelation 11:10).
Their 1260 days will not be a time of restoration.
The Two Witnesses will be clothed in sackcloth, a symbol of
mourning. Elijah comes bringing reconciliation between elders and
their offspring--a time of rejoicing.
The Two Witnesses will kill anyone who tries to harm them,
with miraculous fire from their mouths. They will stop rain, cause
drought and probably famine. They'll have the power to turn bodies
of water, rivers, lakes, dams, resevoirs, seas and bays, into
blood that destroys drinking water, fish life, and has other
negative consequences. The Two Witnesses will have the power to
bring about worldwide plagues of greater impact than Moses brought
on Egypt. (See all of Revelation 11).
These are all acts of destruction, not restoration.
The mission of the Two Witnesses is to be witnesses of God.
God calls them "my two witnesses" partly because he owns them and
sends them. Partly because they testify of him and his Work.
That Work includes what God did through Elijah's Restoration.
The Two Witnesses must witness that God faithfully sent the
endtime Elijah as he promised to. They will probably be able to do
this because they are very familiar with the Work of God, and
longstanding faithful participants in it.
God says "...my two witnesses...are the two olive trees,
AND the TWWO candlesticks standing before the God of the
earth" (Revelation 11:3-4). Seven churches are mentioned in
Revelation 2 and 3. "...the seven candlesticks [actually
lampstands]...are the seven churches"--or seven successive eras of
the true Church (Revelation 1:20).
In other words, the Two Witnesses are supported by members of
the two last eras of the Church: Philadelphia and Laodicea.
One Witness will be of Philadelphia, the other of Laodicea.
This is implied in Zechariah 4:3. "And two olive trees by it,
one upon the right [side] of the bowl, and the other upon the left
[side] thereof. In modern terminology, the one on the right
suggests a wholehearted supporter, the one on the left implies a
less committed supporter.
In Daniel 12, the prophet encounters two individuals. The one
above the river and clothed in linen (a symbol of righteousness),
knows where he is in the final 1260 days of endtime prophecy
leading to the Messiah's arrival.
The one below the river is silent, suggesting he acknowledges
the authority of the first Witness, and submits to what he says.
This is precisely the condition repentant, formerly lukewarm
Laodiceans, will have to come to, if they are to be accepted by
God. A description of their previously unacceptable attitude is
given in Revelation 3:14-22.
In principle, this analysis supports Mr Armstrong's view of
the two divisions in the Church he raised.
Witnesses testify about things they have firsthand knowledge
of in court cases. God has a case against Israel and the nations.
The Two Witnesses must testify that God sent Elijah to Israel
BEFORE Satan's Great Tribulation--and that because they
didn't heed his over 50-year warning--they will be punished in that
time of unprecedented trouble.
The Two Witnesses must warn the other nations (the Gentiles)
who will be used to bring The Tribulation on Israel, that unless
they repent, they will suffer worse punishment, directly from God,
during the subsequent dreadful Day of the LORD. (See Joel 2 and
3).
The Two Witnesses must proclaim the imminent visible arrival
of the only true Messiah, the glorified Jesus Christ, to set up the
Kingdom of God, based in Jerusalem, and soon to rule the whole
world.
The Two Witnesses will oppose two leaders supernaturally
empowered by Satan to counterfeit that worldrule. The political
dictator--to whom 10 rulers of nations will give their power--and
his miracle-working religious pontiff--are described in Revelation
13 as two beasts or wild animals.
During the Tribulation, the Bible reveals the House of
Israel--especially its leading Tribes (which Chapter 2 shows today
are England and America) will be defeated and in national
captivity. The Jews will be besieged in their homeland, with half
the city of Jerusalem occupied by Gentiles (Zechariah 14:2).
The Gentiles, or nations other than Israel, will gather at
Armageddon to fight against Christ at his Second Coming (Revelation
16:12-16). They'll lose, and their leaders, the first Beast and
his False Prophet (the second Beast) will be executed by Christ at
his Second Coming (Revelation 19:20).
The 1260-day prophetic ministry of the Two (God-empowered)
Witnesses coincides with the length of the Tribulation, when Israel
is in captivity.
There's no way the Two Witnesses could restore all things to
Israel during this time of upheaval, once one understands the real
identity of Israel.
Israel's slavemasters then will not allow them to keep the
weekly and annual Sabbaths--including the 8-day Feast of
Tabernacles commanded in Scripture--or the dietary laws of
Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14.
Besides, the whole Hebrew Calendar revolves around a cycle of
7 periods of 7 years, plus the 50th Jubilee Year. This includes 7
sabbatical years in which farm land is laid to rest.
The 1260 days of the Two Witnesses would not even allow for
the restoration of one Land Sabbath. Yet failure to observe the
Land Sabbaths was part of the reason Israel was originally evicted
for disobedience from the Promised Land--and must be a factor in
Israel's endtime eviction (Exodus 23:10-11; Leviticus 26:33-35).
By contrast, Herbert W Armstrong; the endtime Elijah's
Restoration, from 1926 until he died in 1986, was about 60 years
long. That is longer than a Jubilee cycle. Therefore, he could
restore all things.
The first thing he restored was a proper understanding of how
to observe the weekly Sabbath, with the spiritual intent that God
intended--without the burdensome pharasaical prohibitions which
stem from human tradition and not Scripture.
During his long ministry, Mr Armstrong also instituted
experimental farm projects in the Green Belt of Hertfordshire, near
London, England and in Big Sandy, Texas, in the USA. There his
staff ran farms which implemented the Land Sabbath and other Bible
principles of farming, and taught interested farmers around the
world the same knowledge.
The Two Witnesses will neither have the time, nor the
opportunity, to restore such values to Israel.
The endtime Elijah is a unique prophet, who is associated in
Scripture with the equally special servant of God, Moses.
Few men have had as long and full a life, or ministry, as
Herbert W Armstrong, which would allow them to do the Work of the
endtime Elijah. Few have had his tireless energy, combined with
extraordinary talents of extemporaneous professional speaking
ability; concise, clear writing style; advertizing and other media
skills; matched with an unparalleled understanding of Bible
prophecy and doctrine.
Besides this he had excellent business acumen; educational
leadership; a keen appreciation of and fostering of the arts; the
know-how to restore fine old buildings and build magnificent new
ones with gardens, that gained awards and international
recognition.
Few could also have had his royal lineage through King David
of Israel, and have personally known as many famous people and
heads of state, royal personages, world class entertainers, media,
business, and ordinary people. Few could have had and done all
this and also have raised and headed a groundbreaking, worldwide
church, with a worldclass major circulation magazine, and delivered
daily global radio and television broadcasts.
The point is, not many men have the credentials to be the
endtime Elijah, although a number have claimed this title. Only
one person can legitimately be that prophet. This book shows that
person can only be Herbert W Armstrong.
In order to properly understand who the endtime Elijah is, and
grasp the significance of his mission, one first needs to know the
identity of the modern descendants of Israel.
Because many Jews still observe, or are perceived to observe,
the seventh-day of the week, true Sabbath, they are thought to
comprise all of Israel--since God gave that nation the Sabbath as
an identifying sign of who his people are.
The Jews, however, are only a small minority of the whole of
Israel. Bible prophecy cannot be understood if one assumes it
revolves mainly around the Jews.
One of the first things Herbert W Armstrong did in his early
years--even before he was ordained--was to identify the leading
Tribes of Israel, whom he subsequently preached to more than anyone
else. He didn't invent or originate this knowledge, he restored it
in a clear and comprehensive fashion, so that it was understood by
countless millions of people around the world.
Restoration was Elijah's primary job, not origination.
Anyone who does not restore the knowledge about Israel's
identity, and preach it to the Lost Tribes of Israel, cannot be
Elijah. Anyone who does it in the endtime AFTER Mr
Armstrong, is too late to be Elijah.
The true Church was started in Jerusalem 31AD, 1900 years
before Mr Armstrong was ordained as a minister. In 70AD the second
Temple of God was destroyed in Jerusalem by the Romans, who killed
about one million Jews at the same time.
The majority of members in the Jerusalem Church were Jews.
The whole nation was in turmoil. The later epistles of the
Apostles reveal that there was also turmoil in the Church, which
became infiltrated by heretics, who were evicting genuine members.
There was a great Falling Away from Truth then, just as there
was predicted to be in this endtime we live in.
"...the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ...[shall not come],
except there come a falling away first...because they received not
the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause
God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a
lie..." (See 2 Thessalonians 2).
Herbert W Armstrong's often made bold statement that he had
restored the Gospel (or Good News) of the soon-coming Kingdom of
God--1900 years after Christ and the Apostles had--took into
account that there had been a Falling Away from truth by the end of
the First Century. It was also a subtle way of announcing that he
was the endtime Elijah. No-one had comprehensively restored all
things in the interim.
Mr Armstrong also clearly announced he was the endtime Elijah
in his final book, "Mystery of the Ages", published when he was 93
years old and of clear mind, a few months before his death.
Herbert W Armstrong knew he was the endtime Elijah. He
publicly, but humbly, proclaimed his identity. It may have been
too subtle for even many of his followers to grasp, but the fact is
he not only knew his role, he fulfilled it magnificently!
The following chapter summarizes some key points of Mr
Armstrong's teaching about the identity of Israel today, which is
essential for understanding Bible prophecy and Elijah's identity.
Remember that the promise by God to send Elijah, is contained
in the Book of Malachi, which was addressed to the 12 Tribes of
Israel--and not just to the Jewish Tribe.
As the next chapter clearly shows, the Hebrew Scriptures
themselves show that the main--and indeed the majority--of the
Tribes of Israel, are not Jewish!
Copyright 2002: Geoffrey R. Neilson
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