AMERICA'S GREATEST PROPHET
Known
to millions worldwide--hardly anyone has recognized the real identity
of this prophet
whom God promised to send in our day.
by Geoffrey R. Neilson
Cape Town
No prophet of God has more clearly prophesied America and Britain’s current decline, and future defeat in World War 3--unless they forsake their idols, and truly worship the Almighty--and on the day of the week he commanded.
For over 50 years this prophet edited the 8,000,000 circulation "The Plain Truth" magazine, and presented "The World Tomorrow" broadcast, publicly restoring more Bible truth than anyone since the Bible prophets, on over 600 radio and TV stations, and in hundreds of congregations worldwide.
Like all true Bible prophets, beyond The Great Tribulation, he foresaw the future literal Restoration of the Kingdom of God on Earth, to be governed by the soon-coming Messiah.
This site contains conclusive proof that Herbert W Armstrong--a descendant of King David of Israel--is The Endtime Elijah. And shows why nobody else can be.
It also shows where we are in Bible prophecy now.
And reveals your only way of escape from the coming greatest Holocaust ever of World War 3.
God's Promise To Send Elijah the Prophet
Seven Proofs Herbert W Armstrong is The Endtime Elijah:
Can
One of The Two Witnesses be Elijah?
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 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
It was the same message the Apostle Peter referred to--"the times of restitution of all things, which God has 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 a prototype of the endtime Elijah, and a type 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 you believe on him whom he has 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 which 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 t o r m e n t e d t h e m 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, reservoirs, 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, a n d the t w o 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 represent and 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 Bible terminology, the one on the right suggests a wholehearted supporter, the one on the left implies a less committed or non-supporter. (See Matthew 6:23; Matthew 25:33;41; Ecclesiastes 10:2).
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 b e f o r e 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 the article identifying the Tribes of Israel 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. 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. These proofs show 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 a f t e r 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. They 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 chapter about Israel’s modern identity clearly shows, the Hebrew Scriptures themselves show that the main--and indeed the majority--of the Tribes of Israel, are not Jewish!