Was Herbert W. Armstrong Elijah?
Geoff Neilson has written "7 quick steps proving HWA is the
endtime Elijah," that Herbert W. Armstrong was the prophesied
individual to come in the power and spirit of Elijah, as taught
by the former Worldwide Church of God and still believed by many
of the branches of the Sabbath-keeping Church of God but not all
of them or every individual within them believe he
completely fulfilled that great restoration role but that
he served as an Elijah to the Church and there yet remains for
the appearance and work of an Elijah to the nations:
#7--If Elijah has not already come, then (a) the endtime
hasn't started; (b)everyone in the Church's doctrine is in a
state of huge disrepair until he comes and restores all things,
(c) and no-one in our day has ever understood endtime
prophecy.
That's hysterically throwing the baby out with the bathwater
and proving that too many have built their whole "house" upon a
man rather than the WORD OF GOD. Mr. Rupert knew, taught and
observed the biblical Sabbath, festivals, dietary laws and our
Israelite identity, and prophesied of the great apostacy, long
before God's apostle was sent to take these already revealed
truths to the world in a BIG WAY, as prophesied, laying the
foundation (like Mr. Rupert did for him) for the TWO
WITNESSES who will finish the Work. Mr. Armstrong
finished the Work God gave for him to do. It's time to go
forward, to look ahead, and continue to let God's Word correct
and improve our understanding.
I thank God for His apostle Her
bert W. Armstrong and give tremendous credit to the man,
but my life and beliefs are based on the WORD OF GOD that
remains alive and lasts forever, and it has the last say on
every subject.
Mr. Armstrong was given the gift of inspired understanding, but
he was not a prophet or he wouldn't have made a single mistake!
As Chanah wisely notes, if we say, against his own words, he was
a prophet, then you're making him out to be a false prophet, and
I certainly don't think that's your intention.
Your intention, I believe is to honor God and His servant, but
we're to give credit due where credit is due - nothing more or
less. Mr. Armstrong isn't anybody less because he wasn't a
biblical prophet - and prophets are sent to the NATIONS
with strong messages, not pretty platitudes appropriate for the
times. Mr. Armstrong wrote of the time coming when the PLAIN
TRUTH would drop like a BOMBSHELL about the origins
of traditional Christianity.
That time has come! No more black tie dinners and diplomatic,
refined and harmless speech, now it's time to tell it like it
is, drop all pretense and ROAR GOD'S FINAL WARNING TO THIS
WORLD! We won't merely say, as was appropriate at that time,
"A Strong Unseen Hand from Someplace" will save us, we'll herald
the coming of the King of the Jews, the King of Israel, who will
rule with a ROD OF IRON and knock some sense into the
heads of state! He will smash all opposition! He will liberate
Jerusalem and reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Beyond
Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall