QUEST FOR THE MESSIAH - CHAPTER III

by Charles J. Voss
Among various church groups there has been a lot said lately about the "Two Witnesses." Who are they? What is their work? When will they appear? How will they be recognized? Will they be human men? If so, are they here now? Will they be Spirit Beings?

The identify of HaMashiach is a silver bullet straight to the heart of each of the three religions that claim to descend from the Fathers,: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This is true because if you know the identity of the Mashiach, you will not be confused by other false identities. In addition, you will also know who the Two Witnesses are. The Mashiach of Israel is not one of the three Messiahs expected by Islam, Christianity, or Judaism.

One of the places in The Hebrew Scriptures that discusses the Two Witnesses is in the book of Zechariah; where they are referred to as the "Anointed Ones." In ancient Israel, only the kings, priests, or prophets were anointed:
Zechariah 4:1-5,11-13. (JPS 1917) "And the angel that spoke with me returned, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep. And he said unto me: 'What seest thou?' And I said: 'I have seen, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and its seven lamps thereon; there are seven pipes, yea, seven, to the lamps, which are upon the top thereof; 'and two olive-trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.' And I answered and spoke to the angel that spoke with me, saying: 'What are these, my lord?' Then the angel that spoke with me answered and said unto me: 'Knowest thou not what these are?' ... Then answered I, and said unto him: 'What are these two olive-trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?' And I answered the second time, and said unto him: 'What are these two olive branches, which are beside the two golden spouts that empty the golden oil out of themselves?' And he answered me and said: 'Knowest thou not what these are?' And I said: 'No, my lord.' Then said he: 'THESE ARE THE TWO ANOINTED ONES THAT STAND BY ETERNAL OF THE WHOLE EARTH.'"

The following notes are from Scofield for Zechariah 4:1-13:

In this vision, the lamp-stand represents "God's" witness before the world. In the time of Zechariah Israel maintained this witness. ... The two olive trees represent two phases of "God's" government, one the priestly and the other the kingly. From these two olive trees, the oil was carried to the lampstand. Oil is the uniform symbol of the "Holy Spirit.'
The two olive branches represent the two branches of CREATOR's government, the civil division presided over by a king, and a temple division presided over by a priest who is a prophet. Chapters 1 and 2 show the Scriptures are replete with references to King David's resurrection as the Kingly Mashiach, but who is to be the Prophet? Zechariah 6 is additional proof of the Mashiach, but it also states that a priest will have a throne. This is quoted from three different versions:
Zechariah 6:12-13.
(JPSA 1917) "And speak unto him [Joshua] saying: 'Thus speaketh ETERNAL of hosts saying: Behold, a man whose name is the Shoot [David], and who shall shoot up out of his place [be resurrected], and build the Temple of ETERNAL; even shall build the temple of ETERNAL; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and there shall be a priest before his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.'"
(NIV) "Tell him this is what ETERNAL Almighty says: 'here is the man whose name is the Branch, ... will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.'"

(NRSV) "Say to him: Thus says ETERNAL of hosts: Here is a man whose name is Branch: ... shall sit and rule on his throne. There shall be a priest by his throne, with peaceful understanding between the two of them."

There are two beings, a king and a priest, not one being that is a king-priest. How very plain and straightforward that is. Nevertheless, who is the priest who will be the Prophet?

Who Was Melchizedek
Before continuing the Quest for the Prophet, we must identify Melchizedek. Did you ever wonder about Melchizedek? Many groups of 'Christianity' identifies him as a member of a polytheistic godhead who was the 'God' of the Old Testament. However, I ask, if he was a spirit being, why was he living in a dwelling place on earth? If he was living in an earthly dwelling place, why did Abram and others that ETERNAL worked with, not live there? Why did Abraham have to rescue Lot? Why did the angelic armies of Melchizedek not rescue Lot? Why would a spirit being live in Salem and have physical people live there also? Would the humans living there be physical servants? If they were physical servants how could they possibly serve a spirit being?
Melchizedek is first mentioned as King of Salem and Priest of the Most High. Abram [before being renamed Abraham] was returning home after delivering Lot from the kings who had captured him. In doing so he journeyed by Salem and was met by the King of Salem, a Priest of the Most High:
Genesis 14:16-18. "So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him. Then Melchizedek (H4442) 1 king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of 'God' Most High."

Therefore, the man Melchizedek was the righteous king of Salem and a priest of the Most High CREATOR. The following quote is from The Chronology of the Bible. 2

Melchizedek (Melchizedek) was the priestly name for Shem. ... Shem, an antediluvian whose righteousness allowed him to outlive two great judgments, lived 503 years after the flood (Genesis 11:10-11; was born 98 years before the flood), and lived 52 years after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra, and 150 years of Abram's life. At the time Abram paid tithes to him, Shem was the oldest man living upon the face of the earth. He was priest of the Most High "God" Genesis 14:18), consider how great this man was, unto whom even the Patriarch Abram gave the tenth of the spoils. Shem named his city Shem (Jerusalem) after himself (Genesis 14:18; Psalms. 76:2). The meaning of Shem's name is that it is an appellation [an identifying name or title]. It is as a mark or memorial of some individual who by implication has great honor, authority, and character [Strong's: H8035 & H8034].
Another point is that if Melchizedek was the "God" of the Old Testament instead of the man Shem, then ETERNAL would live in Salem. If ETERNAL lived in Salem, then why did He say that He CAME DOWN from heaven to visit Abraham?
Genesis. 18:20-22. And ETERNAL said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorra is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down (H3381) 3 now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know." Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before ETERNAL.

The Companion Bible states that "I will go down now" should be translated "let us now go down." It also says see Genesis 11:7 and Exodus 3:8 where all three are times of judgment. The point being that if Melchizedek were the CREATOR living in Salem, then He would not have to GO DOWN to earth. He already would have been here.

Melchizedek's (Shem)and Abram's Actions Before ETERNAL
Continuing with the account in Genesis, Melchizedek kneels before ETERNAL who is in heaven, to bless Abram. This is a part of his duties as a priest of The Most High. In all probability, Abram also knelt.
Genesis 14:19. And he [Shem] blessed (H1288) him [Abram] and said: "Blessed (H1288) 4 be Abram of CREATOR Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth."
After blessing Abram while kneeling (H1288), 5 Melchizedek then praises ETERNAL. These are the actions of a human priest and are appropriate only if Melchizedek was Shem.

Abram then gives a tithe of the spoils to Melchizedek. Notice that in this verse and also in the one above, that the conversation is between two humans and that the CREATOR is referred to in the conversation but is not part of it.
Genesis 14:20. "And blessed (H1288) be CREATOR Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he [Abram] gave him [Shem] a tithe of all.

To back up a verse or two in order to pick up another point before putting all the verses together, notice that verse 18 simply says that Shem was providing victuals for Abram and the others.
Genesis 14:18. Then Melchizedek (Shem) king of Salem brought out bread (H3899) 6 and wine; he was the priest of CREATOR Most High.

This is not during the days of unleavened bread with Melchizedek acting out a future 'Christian' Eucharist with bread and wine. Shem was simply serving food to his guests. In the next verses, note that the King of Sodom was also there with Abraham and Shem.
Genesis 14:16-20. So he [Abram] brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him. Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of CREATOR Most High. And he [Shem] blessed him [Abram] and said: "Blessed be Abram of 'God' Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be 'God' Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he [Abram] gave him [Shem] a tithe of all.

After dealing with the bread/wine and tithe, there is an exchange between the king of Sodom and Abram. With all three men standing there, ETERNAL now speaks to Abram in a vision.
Genesis 15:1-4. After these things the word of ETERNAL came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." But Abram said, "ETERNAL CREATOR, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!" And behold, the word of ETERNAL came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir."

Thus, it is quite apparent when reading the full account in context that Melchizedek was the man Shem and not a spirit being. Melchizedek and Abraham both worshipped the One True CREATOR. Abraham also recognized the role of Melchizedek as a priest. Psalm 110:4 refers to one who would be forever a priest in the "order of Melchizedek." This psalm teaches that the Mashiach of the future Hebrew nation will have a priest by his side and there will be peace and understanding between the two of them.

Psalm 110
The next series of scriptures show a conversation of two persons/beings. One is our CREATOR and the other is the priest who is being installed into his office in these very verses:
Psalms 110:1. The 'LORD' [H3068] saith unto my lord [H113]: "Sit thou at My right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. 2 The rod of thy strength the 'LORD' [H3068] will send out of Zion: Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. 3 Thy people offer themselves willingly in the day of thy warfare; In adornments of holiness, from the womb of the dawn, thine is the dew of thy youth."
4 The 'LORD' [H3068] hath sworn, and will not repent: "Thou art a priest for ever after the manner of Melchizedek. 5 The 'Lord' [H136] at thy right hand doth crush kings in the day of His. 6 He will judge among the nations; He filleth it with dead bodies. He crusheth the head over a wide land. 7 He will drink of the brook in the way; therefore will he lift up the head." (JPSA 1917)

The English word "LORD" in verses 1, 2, and 4, is translated from the Hebrew word "YHWH" and means the self-Existent or ETERNAL (Strong's H3068. Yehovah, yeh-ho-vaw´) and refers to our CREATOR.

The English word "lord" in verse 1 is translated from the Hebrew word "`adown" and is from an unused root (meaning to rule); sovereign, i.e. controller (human or divine) (Strong's H3068 Yehovah, yeh-ho-vaw') and refers to King David

The English word "lord" in verse 5 is translated from the Hebrew word "Adonay" and is an emphatic form of H113; "LORD"(used as a proper name of "God" only) (Strong's H136 `Adonay, "ad-o-noy´") and refers to our CREATOR.

In order to understand this scenario; imagine you are facing three thrones ahead of you, with you standing behind them.
Seated in the center Throne is ETERNAL. The Priest is to ETERNAL's left hand and David is to His right. Both ETERNAL and David are to the right of the Priest.

In the first stanza of Psalms 110:1-3. the Priest is speaking about David and says, "ETERNAL told my sovereign [King David the Mashiach], 'Sit on My right hand until I send forth the rod of My strength and make your enemies your footstool.' ETERNAL also told David, 'Rule in the midst of your enemies and the people will offer themselves willingly in the day of warfare.' And David will be resurrected in the strength of his youth."

In the second stanza (verses 4-7), the Priest is speaking about himself and says, "ETERNAL has sworn and will not repent when He told me 'you are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek and David at your right hand does crush kings and will judge among the nations and will fill them with dead bodies. He will drink of the brook and regain his strength.'"

Nevertheless, who can this priest be who will be the Prophet with King David? The Hebrew Scriptures proclaim who he is straightforward:
Malachi 4:1-6. "For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," says ETERNAL of hosts, "that will leave them neither root nor branch. But to you who fear My name the [ray] of righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this," Says ETERNAL of hosts. "Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I WILL SEND YOU ELIJAH THE PROPHET before the coming of the great and dreadful day of ETERNAL. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."


Who are They?
The Prophet is Elijah and the Mashiach is King David. Together they are the Two Witnesses that bring Israel back from captivity and bring them to repentance.
In the following verses, they work together after the Third Temple is built. The Prince [King David] provides some of the sacrifices and offerings and the Priest performs the sacrifices:
Ezekiel 45:15-22 (Tanakh). 7 "And [the due] from the flock shall be one animal from every 200. [All these shall be contributed] from Israel's products for meal offerings, burnt offerings, and offerings of well being, to make expiation for them" declares ETERNAL CREATOR. "IN THIS CONTRIBUTION, THE ENTIRE POPULATION MUST JOIN WITH THE PRINCE in Israel.
But the burnt offerings, the meal offerings, and the libations on festivals, new moons, Sabbaths all fixed occasions of the House of Israel shall be the obligation of THE PRINCE; HE SHALL PROVIDE THE SIN OFFERINGS, the meal offerings, the burnt offerings, and the offerings of well-being, to make expiation for the House of Israel."
Thus said ETERNAL CREATOR: "On the first day of the first month, you shall take a bull of the herd without blemish, and you shall cleanse the Sanctuary. THE PRIEST SHALL TAKE SOME OF THE BLOOD OF THE SIN OFFERING and apply it to the doorposts of the Temple, to the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and to the doorposts of the gate of the inner court. You shall do the same on the seventh day of the month to purge the Temple from uncleanness caused by unwitting or ignorant persons.
On the fourteenth day of the first month you shall have the Passover sacrifice; and during a festival of seven days unleavened bread shall be eaten. On that day, the prince shall provide a bull of sin offering on behalf of himself and of the entire population."

ETERNAL said that King David was a man after His own heart (1 Sam. 13:14). Thus we can see why King David was chosen to be the Mashiach; but what about Elijah, why was he chosen to be the Prophet? To understand that question, we must look into the life and work of Elijah.

Warning Israel
Elijah is a much discussed topic among various church groups lately. Who is he? What is his work? When will he appear? How will he be recognized? 8
Why is a work of Elijah even needed? The Hebrew Scriptures speak of the destruction and desolation of all the tribes of Israel. This is because both Israel and Judah have turned their back on their CREATOR. Notice what Hosea has prophesied:
Hosea 5:9-13. Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke; among the tribes of Israel I make known what is sure. The princes of Judah are like those who remove a landmark; I will pour out My wrath on them like water. Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked by human precept. Therefore, I will be to Ephraim like a moth, and to the house of Judah like rottenness. When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria and sent to King Jareb; yet he cannot cure you, nor heal you of your wound.

The reason a warning to all of Israel is needed is because both Israel and Judah will be desolate in the day of rebuke. There are many in Israel who believe in a rapture theory, whether the rapture is spiritual or physical. The Evangelical 'Christians' generally believe in a spiritual rapture. Those of WCGanity and other fundamentalists generally believe in a physical rapture to a place of safety--usually it is Petra, but now it includes Texas. In both cases, the people go off somewhere so that there is no one left to warn Israel of what is to happen, either before or in captivity.

End-Time Setting
Some say that the warning has already taken place that the work of warning Israel has already happened. Some say that Herbert W. Armstrong did it. Others say that someone else is doing it now. From their point of view, everything is going to be peachy-keen. If they believe in the rapture, they may have a bumper sticker saying, "In case of rapture, this car will be with out a driver." The derivatives of WCGanity eagerly yearn to go to a place of safety. However, their feelings notwithstanding none of that takes care of warning ETERNAL's people Israel in the latter days.
Ezekiel did not get to warn Israel because: 1) They were not there but were in captivity when Ezekiel lived and wrote. 2) They will soon be in captivity and none of the above groups are daring to say to Israel that, "Islam, 'Christianity,' and Judaism are pagan religions and that ETERNAL CREATOR demands repentance and a returning to the worship of the one true SOVEREIGN, the Mighty One of Israel." To see that in scripture:
Isaiah 30:8-11. Now go, write it before them on a tablet, And note it on a scroll, That it may be for time to come, Forever and ever: that THIS IS A REBELLIOUS PEOPLE, lying children, children WHO WILL NOT HEAR THE LAW OF ETERNAL; who say to the seers, "Do not see," and to the prophets, "Do not prophesy to us right things; speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits. Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, cause the Mighty One of Israel to cease from before us."

That is basically what ALL the church groups are doing. They are preaching smooth things that are easy so the people can do what they want and not truly repent. In the end-time setting, Hosea proclaimed that finally IN CAPTIVITY Israel would repent of their sin and return to the worship of the one true CREATOR:
Hosea 5:14-15 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue. I will return again to My place till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; IN THEIR AFFLICTION THEY WILL EARNESTLY SEEK ME."

What is Jacob's Sin?
What could possibly be such a grave sin that our loving CREATOR would finally have to bring His own people Israel into an end-time captivity in order to bring about their repentance? Throughout The Hebrew Scriptures, ETERNAL CREATOR reveals that He is ONE and there is no other:
Deuteronomy 4: 35. Unto you it was showed, that you might know that ETERNAL He is CREATOR; there is none else beside Him.
He commands that Israel worship Him and Him alone:
Exodus 20:3. "You shall have no other gods before Me."

Exodus 34:14. "for you shall worship no other god, for ETERNAL, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous [passionate] CREATOR."

Deuteronomy 6:4. "Hear, 9 O Israel: ETERNAL our CREATOR is ONE! And you shall love ETERNAL your CREATOR with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might."

The note for Deuteronomy 4:6. in the Scofield Reference Bible states that:

"'Shema' (pronounced Shmah) is the initial Hebrew word of this verse (hear); the entire verse is recited as the Jewish confession of faith ... The Shema' is understood to emphasize the monotheistic belief of Judaism."
Did you notice the word "monotheistic?" It means that there is only one ETERNAL CREATOR, not three as in most of "Christianity" who worship a god-man crucified deity somehow made up of three beings. WCGanity and their derivatives along with most Messianics have simplified the three-beings-in-one to two-beings-in-one, but that is still one too many. Thus, they all pray TO or THROUGH 10 "Jesus" or "Mary," and that puts some other g-d before the ONE True CREATOR. They worship at the feet of other g-ds in place of the ONE True ETERNAL CREATOR, the righteous One of Israel--and that is Israel's big sin.
Our Jewish brethren have that fact correct. They do profess to worship only one Deity. A person worships whoever they obey. The Jews have other books, traditions, and the words of rabbis, and sages that take precedence over the word of the Hebrew Scriptures. Therefore, they do not worship ETERNAL as He describes in His word; their worship follows their own traditions based on what they brought back from Babylonian captivity. Their worship is based on the practices of other nations or people, which ETERNAL condemns:
Deuteronomy 12:30-31. "Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? Even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto ETERNAL CREATOR: for every abomination to ETERNAL, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods."

The Jews' religion of "Judaism" is only a hollow shell of the Hebrew religion of the Fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It contains many remnants of paganism remaining from their captivity in Babylon and in addition they obey the words of men and tradition above the Hebrew Scriptures--and that is Judah's big sin.

Israel will be taken into captivity and there are none of the above mentioned groups doing the job of warning ETERNAL CREATOR's people. Because our SOVEREIGN is a Being of love, He is not going to take ALL of the people away who know the truth, to some safe place without giving a warning to His people Israel. Scripture prophesies that Israel will go into captivity for worshipping at the feet of the B-als. 11 They are prophesied to repent, return to the One True SOVEREIGN and to worship only the SOVEREIGN. Although they broke the Marriage Covenant they made with ETERNAL at Mt. Sinai, our SOVEREIGN stands ready to grant them repentance--because He loves them. Let us look at Hosea 11:1-4. You will notice verse one is used a lot around "Christmas" time. However, as you read this, you will see it is NOT referring to calling a man and his wife out of Egypt who have a young son who is a god-man:
Hosea 11:1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son.

That is when CREATOR delivered His people Israel out of Egyptian captivity, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with a mother and child being called out of Egypt.
Hosea 11:2-4 As they called them, So they went from them; they sacrificed to the B-als, and burned incense to carved images. "I taught Ephraim to walk, Taking them by their arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love, and I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them."

The SOVEREIGN prophesied through the mouth of Hosea the reaction of Israel in captivity:
Hosea 6:1-3 Come, and let us return to ETERNAL; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight. Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of ETERNAL. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth.

It is obvious that the ETERNAL CREATOR, our maker, is a loving, caring Being. He will send Israel into captivity, but He will bring them back because He will send a prophet in the end-time. He does this in one last attempt to bring Israel to repentance.
Malachi 4:5-6.) "Behold, I will send you ELIJAH THE PROPHET before the coming of the great and dreadful day of ETERNAL. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."

The word "curse" is H2764 in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance and means "utter destruction." Our CREATOR is telling His people that if they do not turn their hearts back to the fathers; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob--if they do not repent and return to worship ONLY ETERNAL He will smite the earth with utter destruction.

Israel is prophesied to go into captivity for worshipping at the feet of the B-als. They will repent, return to their CREATOR, and worship Him as the Righteous One of Israel. Although they broke the marriage covenant they made with their CREATOR at Mt. Sinai, ETERNAL stands ready to grant them repentance because He loves His people Israel. He married them with a marriage covenant at Mt. Sinai. He betrothed them, but Israel has been an adulterous wife all these many years until this very day.

Background on Elijah
Since ETERNAL is going to send Elijah the Prophet, we need a little background on the original Elijah. The root Hebrew word for the name Elijah means, "ETERNAL is CREATOR." The literal translation is "The Almighty, He is CREATOR." 12 His name will play a big part in the work of Elijah. The following quote is from Holman's Dictionary 13 concerning 1 Kings 17:20-24:
The prophet from the ninth century BC, from Tishbite of Gilead in the Northern Kingdom, has been called the grandest and the most romantic character that Israel ever produced. He was a complex man of the desert who counseled kings. His first miracle was associated with his prophecy before King Ahab ... And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As ETERNAL CREATOR of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word..."
His first miracle was associated with his prophecy before King Ahab in which he said there would be no rain or dew apart from his declaration. Immediately after the prophecy he retreated to the brook of Cherith where he was fed by ravens. His next refuge was Zarephath where he performed the miracle of raising the widow's dead son. (I Kings 17:1) ... Then he cried out to ETERNAL and said, "O ETERNAL CREATOR, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?" And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the 'Lord' and said, "O ETERNAL CREATOR, I pray, let this child's soul come back to him." Then ETERNAL heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, "See, your son lives!" Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now by this I know that you are a man of 'God', and that the word of the 'Lord' in your mouth is the truth...."

Here he was first called a man of "God". On Mt. Carmel his greatest miracle involved his encounter with 450 prophets of B-al and the 400 prophets of "Ashtoreth" [pronounced "Easter"]. The contest was to determine who the true CREATOR is. The false prophets called on their deity and Elijah called on his Deity to see which would rain fire from heaven. After the false prophets failed to hear from their deity, Elijah wetted the wood on his altar to the true Mighty One by pouring four jars of water over it on three different occasions. In response to Elijah's prayer, ETERNAL rained fire from heaven and consumed the wet wood. As a result of their deception, Elijah ordered the false prophets to be killed.

Interwoven in the life of Elijah is his trouble with B-alism. Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal king of Sidon and Tyre, was Ahab's wife and Israel's queen. She brought the worship of her god B-al into Ahab's kingdom. The contest on Carmel showed a contest between the contesting deities. ETERNAL's power and B-al's impotence were further revealed through the drought. His prophetic role constantly placed Elijah in opposition to the majority of the people of his nation. His prophetic confrontations involved King Ahab and later his son Ahaziah. Their tolerance of polytheism was the only reason for Elijah's prophetic denunciation.

It is important to emphasize five points here:
Elijah believed in monotheism--the worship of the ONE True CREATOR as a single Being.
Elijah struggled with B-alism all his life.
B-alism is polytheism--the worship of multiple gods. Primarily the worship of a father, mother, and son--a crucified god-man. Usually the "father" of the three is referred to as "the father who art in heaven" and is part of the trinity/twinity, and has no connection whatsoever to our ETERNAL CREATOR who truly is in heaven.
The ONE True Mighty One is a single Being. He is not a being in triplicate or duality. He is one single Being, not a trinity or twinity.
Elijah's work constantly placed him in opposition to the majority of the people of his nation.
That is what Elijah was up against, groups of people who believed in a g-dhead of more than one being. If we look around today, that is exactly what we find in the western world! The people are still in pagan religion, looking and praying toward more than one being. A comment was made that, not only was Elijah dealing with a trinity and/or a duality, but also he was dealing with a mother-child relationship in which the child was a crucified savior such as we find today. He was dealing with the same situation we find in the western world today. Continuing with the dictionary:

2 Kings 1:2. "...When Ahaziah fell and injured himself (he was the son of Ahab) he sent messengers to ask B-alzebub (lord of the flies) about his fate..."
Editors Note: That is somewhat funny. Here the man is dying and he sends to ask the l-rd of the flies. I guess the flies were bothering his injury!

Elijah intercepted them and sent word back to Ahaziah that he would soon die. Ahaziah sent three different detachments of 50 soldiers each to arrest Elijah. The first two units were destroyed by fire from heaven, the captain of the third group pleaded for his life. He safely escorted Elijah back to the king where he delivered the prophecy of his impending death personally.

That is what happened with the Elijah of old. Going back to Malachi to review what will happen before the end-time tribulation: --the trials that are coming upon the earth and the time the Mashiach appears:
Malachi 4:5-6. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of ETERNAL. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.
Turn the Hearts
That curse is yet to come upon the earth, a time when there will be utter destruction. Returning to 1 Kings to learn what the first Elijah did might be a clue as to what might happen at the time of the end.
1 Kings 18:17-21. "Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, "Is that you, O troubler of Israel?" And he answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, in that you have forsaken the Commandments of ETERNAL and have followed the B-als. Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of B-al, and the four hundred prophets of "Asherah" [pronounced "Easter"], who eat at Jezebel's table." So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If ETERNAL is Deity, follow Him; but if B-al, follow him." But the people answered him not a word."
This is the work of warning Israel that will be done in the end-time: Telling Israel that, "If ETERNAL is the one true Supreme Being, follow Him. If this triad/diad of beings are supreme, follow them;" However, the choice will be Israel's to make.

Getting back to Kings, the prophets of the "sun g-d b-al" had been jumping up and down and screaming all day long for b-al to send fire to burn up the sacrifice. Elijah had been taunting them:
1 Kings 18:27. (KJV) "And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, 'Cry aloud: for he is a g-d; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.'"

The English word " pursuing" comes from the Hebrew word 14 "siyg" in and it means "a private place" in other words, maybe he has gone to potty! Nevertheless, he is not here to answer your prayer, so you need to jump, yell, cut yourself, and scream some more. Nothing happened. Then late in the afternoon Elijah said a very short, moving, and to the point prayer:
1 Kings 18:36-37. "And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, 'ETERNAL CREATOR of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel [Jacob--the Fathers], let it be known this day that You are CREATOR in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your Word. Hear me, O ETERNAL, hear me, that this people may know that You are the ETERNAL CREATOR, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again."

The prayer of the end time Elijah will be the same, "ETERNAL CREATOR of Abraham, Isaac, and of Jacob, let it be known this day that You are the Mighty One in Israel, and I am Your servant, and I have done all these things at Your word. Hear me, O ETERNAL, hear me, that this people may know that You are the ETERNAL CREATOR SOVEREIGN, and that You have turned their hearts back again." If Israel repents; it will be the The Mighty One that causes it. Only the CREATOR can give repentance.
1 Kings 18:38-39 "Then the fire of ETERNAL fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, 'ETERNAL, He is CREATOR! ETERNAL, He is CREATOR!'"

Remember Elijah's name means 'The ETERNAL, He is SOVEREIGN so what the people were actually saying... "And when all the people saw, they fell on their faces: and they said, "Elijah! Elijah! Elijah!" In other words, "The ETERNAL, He is SOVEREIGN! The ETERNAL, He is SOVEREIGN! The ETERNAL, He is SOVEREIGN!"

Before the people repented it took fire coming down from heaven. It appears that before modern Israel repents it will take fire coming down from heaven as it did for Israel of old. That fire caused desolation and destruction of the sacrifice and the altar. It appears desolation and destruction will again fall on Israel before they finally admit that their trinity/twinity g-d is not the CREATOR; but the ETERNAL, He is SOVEREIGN; He alone is the Mighty One of Israel!

After the warning from Elijah, fire coming down, destruction and desolation of the sacrifice, then there was refreshing rain from ETERNAL.
1 Kings 18:41-44. "Then Elijah said to Ahab, 'Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.' So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant, 'Go up now, look toward the sea.' So he went up and looked, and said, 'There is nothing.' And seven times, he said, 'Go again.' Then it came to pass the seventh time that he said, 'There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!' So he said, 'go up, say to Ahab, Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.'"

That is how it appears it will be this time. It will take destruction, desolation, and captivity before Israel is ready to say, "The ETERNAL, He alone is SOVEREIGN, He alone is the Mighty One of Israel!" When ETERNAL calls His people back to the Promised Land there will be a time of refreshing with the true Mashiach of Israel. However, many things must happen first.

Required Happenings
When Elijah appears there are three things that must be revealed to Israel. The first item is to tell Israel just who they really are. This must be broadcast to Israel, "You are the children of Israel, you are the Lost Ten Tribes, and you are descendants of the Fathers--Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That would be in all the countries where Anglo-Saxon people are today, the democracies in Europe, America, Britain, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, all the places around the world where the descendants of Jacob have settled. Then Elijah will tell all of Israel and Judah they are worshiping at the feet of B-al and to "repent and return to the one true Mighty One of Israel."
The Third Step in Detail
Modern day Israel is in denial as was Ahab of old:
1 Kings 18:17-18. Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, "Is that you, O troubler of Israel?" And he [Elijah] answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, in that you have forsaken the Commandments of ETERNAL and have followed the b-als."
Notice that 'b-als' is plural. In Strong's it is H1168:
"Ba´al,' a Phoenician deity:--'Baal,' [plural].
Consider that scenario for a moment: when modern Israel will be warned, aas Ahab was, they will blame also Elijah. Elijah will reply, "You have followed a triplicate or dual g-dhead (both plural 'B-als'). You have worshipped at the feet of a statue of a mother and a baby savior g-d man. When will you ever repent?"
1 Kings 18:21. And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If ETERNAL is the Supreme Being, follow Him; but if B-al follow him." But the people answered him not a word.

The next thing Elijah will do is to call for repentance. He will give a warning of destruction, and if Israel refuses:
Malachi 4:6. "...I [ETERNAL] will come and strike the earth with a curse."


End-time Responsibility
Ezekiel 2:1-3. And He said to me, "son of man 15 stand on your feet, and I will speak to you." Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me. And He said to me: "Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day."
Reading the same verses from the Tanakh:
Ezekiel 2:1-3. (Tanakh) "And He said to me, 'O mortal, stand up on your feet that I may speak to you.' As He spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and set me upon my feet; and I heard what was being spoken to me. He said to me, 'O mortal, I am sending you to the people of Israel, that nation of rebels, who have rebelled against Me. - They as well as their fathers have defied Me to this very day; for the sons are brazen of face and stubborn of heart. I send you to them, and you shall say to them: 'Thus said ETERNAL CREATOR- whether they listen or not, for they are a rebellious breed - that they may know that there was a prophet among them.'"

The word WILL GO forth to Israel and they are brazen of face. In other words, they have a countenance that is set and hard, not soft and warm with affection as compared to man back in verse one. Continuing verses four and five, which are back in the NKJV:
Ezekiel 2:4-5. For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, "Thus says ETERNAL CREATOR. As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse; for they are a rebellious house; yet they will know that a prophet has been among them."

If Israel does not repent and goes into captivity (because the indication is the nation, as a whole will not repent), they will know then that there had been a prophet among them and will repent in captivity.
Ezekiel 2:6-7. And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house. You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious.

The Scriptures say they are a rebellious nation, but remember, only part of Judah was there and heard this message the first time. Israel has yet to hear this message as they have never heard this. It will be new to ALL of Israel. Judah heard it back in Babylonian captivity, but it was never preached to ALL of Israel. This is a proof that this is for the latter times.
Ezekiel 3:5. For you are not sent to a people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, but to the House of Israel.

This word WILL GO TO THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL; it will not go to foreigners (Chinese, Russians, and the people who are not descendants of Israel). Why? Because this warning is not to a people of strange speech, but to the people ETERNAL is working with and has always worked with.
Ezekiel 3:6-10. "not to many people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you. But the House of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the House of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted. Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house." Moreover He said to me: "son of man, receive into your heart ALL My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears."
[Note: Isaiah 56 shows that later all of the rest of the nations will be worked with (read it in your Scriptures).]

Whoever is to do the warning of Ezekiel must receive ALL of our CREATOR's words into their heart. In other words, they need to take this warning work very seriously and to obey all of the Commandments of ETERNAL to be able to be free among the captives to call for repentance.

Warning in Captivity
Notice that Ezekiel was supernaturally moved among the Jewish captives:
Ezekiel 3:4-9. (Tanakh) "Then He said to me, 'Mortal, go to the House of Israel and repeat My very words to them. For you are sent, not to a people of unintelligible speech and difficult language, whose talk you cannot understand. If I sent you to them, they would listen to you. But the House of Israel will refuse to listen to you, for they refuse to listen to Me; for the whole House of Israel are brazen of forehead and stubborn of heart. But I will make your face as hard as theirs and your forehead as brazen as theirs. I will make your forehead like adamant, harder than flint. Do not fear them, and do not be dismayed by them, though they are a rebellious breed."
Ezekiel 3:10-15. (Tanakh) "Then He said to me: 'Mortal, listen with your ears and receive into your mind all the words that I speak to you. Go to your people, the exiled community, and speak to them.' Say to them: 'Thus says ETERNAL CREATOR whether they listen or not.' Then a spirit carried me away, and behind me I heard a great roaring sound: Blessed is the Presence of ETERNAL, in His place, with the sound of the wings of the creatures beating against one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them - a great roaring sound. A spirit seized me and carried me away. I went in bitterness, in the fury of my spirit, while the hand of ETERNAL was strong upon me. And I came to the exiled community that dwelt in Tel Abib by the Chebar Canal, and I remained where they dwelt. And for seven days I sat there stunned among them."

Ezekiel evidently had freedom to roam among the people in captivity. He could go from place to place under captivity.
Ezekiel 3:16-21. (Tanakh) "After those seven days, the word of ETERNAL came to me: 'O mortal, I appoint you watchman for the House of Israel; and when you hear a word from My mouth, you must warn them for Me. If I say to a wicked man, 'You shall die,' and you do not warn him - you do not speak to warn the wicked man of his wicked course in order to save his life - he, the wicked man, shall die for his iniquity, but I will require a reckoning for his blood from you. But if you warn the wicked man, and he does not turn back from his wickedness and his wicked course, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have saved your own life. Again, if a righteous man abandons his righteousness and does wrong, when I put a stumbling block before him, he shall die. He shall die for his sins; the righteous deeds that he did shall not be remembered; but because you did not warn him, I will require a reckoning for his blood from you. If, however, you warn the righteous man not to sin, and he, the righteous, does not sin, he shall live because he took warning, and you will have saved your own life."

To the people who understand what our loving CREATOR is doing; this warning needs to go out to Israel, it is imperative they take this to heart. This is a very serious time and these are very serious circumstances. We have the responsibility for all the Israelites on our shoulders.

The Watchmen
The CREATOR states that in effect we are our brothers' keeper and are watchmen for one another:
Leviticus 19:17. (TLB) "Don't hate your brother. Rebuke anyone who sins; don't let him get away with it, or you will be equally guilty."
If you see a brother that has a problem, it is your duty, your responsibility to go to him and talk with him so that he will not sin, because WE ARE ALL WATCHMEN for one another. Another scripture that states the same:
Isaiah 58:1. "Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins."

We ALL have a responsibility to warn the house of Israel of their sins and call for repentance and a return to the one true CREATOR.

To tie this back to the very beginning when it was stated that Ezekiel would have the freedom to walk among the captives back then, and he will also in this latter time:
Ezekiel 12:15-16. "Then when I have scattered them among the nations and dispersed them through the countries, they shall know that I am ETERNAL. But I will spare a few of them from the sword, from famine, and from pestilence, that they may recount all their abominable deeds among the nations to which they come; and they shall know that I am ETERNAL!"

End-time Activity
The Watchmen have specific tasks to do:
The revealing of Israel's identity to them.
Showing Israel their sin of not worshipping the one true CREATOR, The Mighty One of Israel.
Warning and calling for repentance.
The building of hope in the captives for the coming of the Davidic Kingdom.
Those are the signs that will accompany the Watchmen. Remember, Malachi 4:5 says that before the time of the end, the ETERNAL CREATOR will send His prophet in the end-time to warn Israel lest He smite them with a curse.

One other point in closing: In ancient Israel, it was not just a single individual who had the job of blowing the shophar if he saw the enemy coming. Any citizen who saw the enemy approaching had an obligation, a duty, to blow the shophar and warn the inhabitants of coming trouble:
Ezekiel 3:18-21. "When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul. And the hand of ETERNAL was there upon me; and he said unto me, arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee."

In addition to all that above, ETERNAL states that:
II Chronicles 7:14. "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

There you have it. Oh Israel, to keep from going into captivity come out of Babylon. Stop worshiping at the feet of the trinity or twinity 'Baals' "B-als" on the first day of the week and worship the True Mighty One on the seventh day of the week!




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[ Messiah - Chapter 4




Footnotes
1. Strong's: H#4442. Malkiy-Tsedeq, from H#4428 [a king:--king, royal] and H#6664 [the right] king of righteousness; an early king in Pal.:--Melchizedek
2. The Chronology of the Bible by Frank R. Klassen, p 13.

3. Strong's: H#3381. yarad, a prim. root; to descend (lit. to go downwards; or conventionally to a lower region, as the shore); - come (-ing) down, get down, go (-ing) down .

4. Strong's: H#1288. barak, to kneel; by impl. to bless God (as an act of adoration), and (vice-versa) man (as a benefit).

5. Strong's: H#1288. barak, to kneel; by impl. to bless God (as an act of adoration), and (vice-versa) man (as a benefit).

6. Strong's: H#3899. lechem, food (for man or beast), espec. bread, or grain (for making it):--([shew-]) bread, X eat, food, fruit, loaf, meat, victuals.

7. Tanakh, The Holy Scriptures, (Philadelphia, Jerusalem: Jewish Publication Society) 1985

8. A sure way to know if a person is not Elijah is for the person to tell you that they are, that they are the one mentioned in Scripture. You can rest assured that when Elijah is resurrected everyone will know it. There will not be any doubt about it because the powers in authority will hear what he has to say and then they will obey or probably send SWAT teams to get him. If someone says they are Elijah but they are just hanging out in Texas for a while, DO NOT believe them!

9. The English "hear" word comes from the Hebrew word "shama'," (Strong's H8085. shaw-mah'). It is a primary root and means to hear intelligently (often with impl. of attention, obedience).

10. See our article "Why Satan Not Win?"

11. B-al (plural B-als) Any of various local fertility and nature gods of the ancient Semitic peoples considered to be false idols by the Hebrews." The original B-als consisted of Cush, Nimrod, and Semiramis. The American Heritage Electronic Dictionary:

To understand the history of Nimrod and Semiramis, as well as that of their father Cush, under their various names and titles, is not unlike unraveling a giant puzzle. To further clarify the connection with all the subsequent gods and goddesses of the various nations, I would like to quote a few more leading historical sources on the subject.

As mentioned, Cush was known as 'Bel,' or 'Baal' and is exclusively referred to by that name outside the Bible. The Encyclopedia Britannica says: "'Baal' being originally a title, and not a proper name, the innumerable baals could be distinguished by the addition of the name of a place or of some special attribute."' It is from the name of 'Bel' that we understand the true identity of Cush. He is sometimes simply referred to as 'El,' a Semitic name for god. In such a capacity he is regarded as the supreme deity of a Trinity in ancient Babylon Harper's Bible Dictionary says of him: "But 'Bel' was always one of the great TRIAD of gods... 'Bel' thus was the 'SUN god,' whose strength in the early morning and SPRING was recognized by worship and festivals." He became "...the dominant deity throughout Mesopotamia. 'Bel, Marduk, Merodach,' and 'Baal' are all different names for the same polytheistic idea."' Additional evidence of "Baal's" identity can be seen in the fact that not only were bulls sacrificed to him, but, as The Encyclopedia Britannica notes, humans were considered sacred as an offering." Babylon Mystery Religion by Darrell Conder, p263, Commonwealth Publishing Co., Salt Lake City, UT.

The sacrifice of humans brings in the crucifixion of the god-man Nimrod. These were forerunners of the 'God,' Mary, and the god-man 'Jesus.'

12. From Strong's numbers H452, H410 and H3050. The Companion Bible Appendixes #4, JAH is Jehovah in a special sense and relationship as having become our Salvation.

13. Holman's Electronic Bible Dictionary.

14. Strong's is H1773 "siyg" (seeg).

15. As a side note the Hebrew word for man is adam Adam and means ruddy or red faced. WCGanity has always said that meant Adam was made out of red mud--which may or may not be true. But his face, his countenance is red, in other words, he is a mortal. His face has blood as compared to a spirit being whose face has no blood.