THREE SAVIORS, TWO MESSIAHS, AND THREE ELIJAHS

 

The Amazing History and Destiny of Planet Earth

 

Revelation of Elijah the Third

(Joe Pope)

 

“HE WHO HAS AN EAR, LET HIM HEAR”

 

Great events in human history involving God are ANNOUNCED. A herald or forerunner of the event is sent to proclaim that it is about to occur. These heralds of God are called prophets or heaven sent messengers.

 

They are ordinary human beings, with ordinary faults and struggles, who live ordinary lives, except for their divine message which is never ordinary. As individuals they are unimportant, but their message is all important, like a modern telegram boy bearing information of great significance to you.

 

Strange as it may seem, long before they are born into this world, these messengers are trained for their earth mission by God. He who lives in eternity foresees the future events of time, even the career of a yet unborn prophet.

 

The Hebrew prophet Jeremiah described this fore-training when he wrote:

 

“Now the word of the LORD came to me -saying,

‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and

before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’”

Jeremiah 1:4-5 (RSV throughout, except where noted)

 

Jeremiah is also a good example of the frequent fate of these prophets: their message is ignored, and they are often shunned, tortured, or murdered. They are punished for daring to reveal future events not palatable to their fellows on earth.

 

When Jeremiah prophesied the impending destruction of Jerusalem by invading Babylonians in the sixth century B.C., the elders confined him to a muddy cistern where he sank up to his armpits.

 

Occasionally however, the culmination of the life of a prophet may be amazingly glorious, as was the case with the first Elijah.

 

WHO WAS ELIJAH?

 

Elijah was a mighty Hebrew prophet from ancient Tishbeh in Palestine who practiced his religious ministry in the ninth century B.C., a few centuries before Jeremiah.

 

He appeared on the scene shortly after a war of separation divided the Jews into northern and southern kingdoms, and left them decaying spiritually as a people. Prophets are not solely announcers of impending events, often they are sent into the world as teachers of righteousness. Such was Elijah.

 

This brave and determined messenger of God fought his war of righteousness in the northern kingdom, opposing the followers of the Canaanite fertility god, Baal, and exalting the Hebrew concept of God.

 

Elijah achieved such a brilliant spiritual status in the sight of God, that he suddenly FUSED one day with the fragment of the Universal Father that lives inside all mortals, translating him directly into the presence of God. This fiery and momentous event is described in scripture as Elijah being carried off to heaven in a chariot of fire. (2 Kings 2:11-12)

 

The only previous mortal so blessed was Enoch, the son of Cain, who was also carried off without dying. (Genesis 5:24, Hebrews 11, 5)

 

Technically speaking, Elijah the Tishbite was not the first of the Hebrew prophets after Moses, Samuel was. But Elijah’s spectacular spiritual career virtually made him the paramount or prototype prophet of God. As theologians would later describe this honor, the “typology of Elijah” was born. In other words, the name “Elijah” became a general designation for a “mighty prophet of God.” The reader should keep this principle in mind to avoid potential confusion among three Elijahs, the third of which lives today.

 

THE CONFUSION OF THE THREE ELIJAHS

 

The Jews share a widespread belief of many peoples on earth that a divine being would come from heaven at a sudden future end of this world. He would arrive to rule over a rejuvenated humankind, on a reconstructed earth, in a glorious NEW AGE, and all this miraculously inaugurated by God.

 

The Jews took to calling this future divinely anointed world ruler, the MESSIAH. From the Hebrew “ha-mashiah,” it means “the anointed one,” and originates in the ancient practice of consecrating kings with precious oil.

 

The Hebrew prophet Malachi predicted that this righteous king end-times Messiah would have an Elijah as a herald or forerunner:

 

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible, day of The LORD comes. And he will turn the, hearts of fathers to their children and the, hearts of children to their fathers lest I come and smile the land with a curse.

Malachi 4’.5

 

The confusion of the Elijahs began when the early Jews interpreted this prophecy literally, an erroneous reading persisting to this day in modern Judaism. The ancient Hebrew sages began to teach that this Elijah of Malachi’s prophecy would be the same ascended Elijah the Tishbite, returning to earth to announce the Deliverer Messiah at the end of the world. It is not. It is the third Elijah who has this role, this very day in the latter twentieth century. And this fact is easier to understand when one remembers the typology of Elijah as described above. The second Elijah, incidentally, was John the Baptist. Compounding this confusion among three prophets, all called Elijah, is the fact that there are also two Messiahs.

 

TWO MESSIAHS?

 

Scripture prophecy clearly reveals a Suffering Messiah, who would be rejected by the world, and a second Deliverer Messiah who would triumph over evil at the end of the world.

 

Jesus’ early followers, with his acquiescence, blended into 9= these two messianic roles, separated by two thousand years. They began to teach that Jesus would fill both roles. Another erroneous teaching.

 

Why did Jesus not clarify this confusion before leaving earth? To explain this historic obfuscation of momentous religious events and personalities, let us pursue this idea of two Messiahs.

 

THE SUFFERING MESSIAH BEN JOSEPH

 

Modern Hebrew scholars clearly acknowledge today the independent roles of two Messiahs, and the fact that they are quite separately described in prophetic scripture. In Jesus’ day however, the sages had not yet formulated this clear understanding of two savior figures in prophecy.

 

Jewish scholars today have taken to calling these two messianic figures, Messiah ben Joseph, and Messiah ben David. In Hebrew, “ben” means “son of.”

 

The first title originates in the parallels of the Genesis story of Joseph, son of Jacob and Rachel. (Genesis 30:24, 35:24, 37-50) Joseph “suffered” at the hands of his own brothers who sold him into slavery, but he was eventually victorious. And there is an ironic twist in this name: Jesus, who would fill this messianic role, was born of a Nazareth carpenter named Joseph. He was truly “ben Joseph.”

 

Similarly, this “suffering servant” foretold by the prophet Isaiah, is described as enduring humiliation beyond the human imagination, but eventually emerging victorious. (Isaiah 52:13 -53:12)

 

Isaiah wrote that this Suffering Messiah would be “despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief”. (Isaiah 53:3) What a fate confronted this kind and gentle God-man, the greatest man who ever lived!

 

RIGHTEOUS-KING END-TIMES MESSIAH BEN DAVID

 

The second Messiah of Hebrew prophetic expectation is called Messiah ben David by Jewish scholars. He is so named because the Jews began to teach during their sixth century B.C. exile in Babylon that he would be of the bloodline of the popular pre-exilic King David. This was another erroneous teaching persisting to this day. The high priests while in Babylon altered the Oracle of Nathan in 2 Samuel chapter 7, and other scripture, and fabricated into them this notion that Messiah ben David would perpetuate the Davidic dynasty:

 

“When your days are fulfilled and you lie, down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”

2 Samuel 7-12-13

 

Far from perpetuating a Judahite dynasty, this messianic figure will in fact be a divine being of pre-existent origin who is nearly 300 billion years old -- a High Son of God. BUT HE IS NOT JESUS! And as to how Jesus was mistakenly placed in this role, we will come to in a moment. First, let us discuss how the early Jews managed to obfuscate the true nature of this end-times Deliverer. We will then see how Jesus and his early followers were virtually forced to play along.

 

The ancient prophets had promised that this Messiah, when he came, would appear at a time of world war and horrible destruction on earth, a day of darkness and gloom, the end of the world. He would deliver to safety all the good people of earth. He would then rule over a reconstructed NEW EARTH of miraculous inauguration by the direct intervention of God, from his world headquarters at Jerusalem.

 

To this essentially accurate belief, however, the Hebrew priests during the captivity attached the erroneous nationalistic notion that he would drive the gentile overlords out of Palestine, and the racially egoistic doctrine that he would convert the world to the religion of Judaism. This led to the false conviction that the Jews, with this Jewish Messiah, would some day rule over a religiously converted earth. It is easy to see why this self flattering Hebrew delusion, perpetuated today in some aspects of modern Zionism, so inflames many non-Jews.

 

In this day and age of printing, it is hard to imagine anyone getting away with altering scripture. But in those days, virtually the only manuscripts of sacred writings were in the hands of the priests.

 

While these ancient Jewish misconceptions were unfortunate and have served to fuel anti-Semitism for centuries, they were understandable.

 

Changing the record of prophecy in this en masse editing of the Old Testament was well meant. The priests were merely seeking to uplift the downcast captive Jews, by holding out to them the hope of future deliverance and national vindication.

 

The Jews were the torchbearers of monotheism to the world. Wherefore had God made HIS plans for this national vindication by the future appearance among the Hebrews of HIS SON, Jesus of Nazareth. But things didn’t quite work out as HE wanted.

 

This noble and highly versatile world peoples had suffered in this exile their greatest national humiliation since the days of Egyptian captivity, from which Moses had led them to the Promised Land. Shocked, and deeply hurt, they truly needed a rosy future picture of promise -- eventual racial victory and vindication -- to assuage their wounded hearts.

 

But this was only the beginning of their national humiliation. By the early first century A.D., when Jesus came along, the Jews had been chafing for hundreds of years under foreign domination. Assyrian overlordship had given way to this captivity in Babylon, followed by eventual return to Palestine, only to see domination by the Greeks and finally, Rome.

 

Little wonder they were then desperately seeking the advent of this long expected heavenly Deliverer, Messiah ben David, to restore their national dignity by driving out these gentile overlords. They had little regard for any notions of a “Suffering Messiah.”

 

Into this emotional milieu of intense yearning for national deliverance, there appeared on the scene Jesus of Nazareth. He was indeed an all powerful Son of God, but his destiny was to fulfill the role of this first rejected Messiah.

 

JESUS OF NAZARETH AS THE SUFFERING MESSIAH

 

Jesus knew of a certainty that he was not the end-times Messiah, that the end of the world had not come. At first, he repeatedly insisted to his apostles that he was not, but he eventually came to see that they simply could not and would not accept him in any other light. And this was essentially because of his peoples’ desperate search for deliverance.

 

On one occasion, Jesus stated to a public crowd that he had no bloodline connection with the Davidic royal family.

 

Notwithstanding this clear declaration, the genealogy presented in Luke chapter 3 was contrived to show *David” as one of Jesus’ progenitors. (Verse 31)

 

In disavowing any dynastic connection with King David, the Master chose the 110th Psalm, attributed to David’s authorship. The words of this Psalm prophesy a future day when the two Messiahs, or ‘Lords,” seem to be together. In this context, the first “LORD,” or speaker is clearly Jesus, upon the occasion of some future return visit. The ‘lord” whom he addresses is the end-times Messiah:

 

“The LORD says to my lord ‘Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool.’”

Psalm 110.1

 

The Master leaves the inquiring Pharisees in this crowd nonplussed and perplexed with this conundrum question:

 

“If David thus calls him lord, how is he his son?”

Matthew 22:45

 

In the 16th and 17th chapters of Matthew we can read something of the difficult time the Master had inculcating his apostles to his eventual fate as Suffering Messiah. Matthew writes:

 

“From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

Matthew 16:21

 

Peter is shocked to hear this, and he presumes upon his personal friendship with the Master to try to tempt him away from this tragic out-working of his earth mission. This mistake earns Peter one of the sharpest reprimands any man ever heard from Jesus’ lips:

 

“And Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get thee behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men.’”

Matthew 16:22-23

 

And in Matthew chapter 17, the apostles continue their anguished disbelief of his plain pronouncements:

 

“As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.’ And they were greatly distressed.”

Matthew 17:22-25

 

You can see how Jesus was eventually constrained to play along with his own apostles’ misconceptions of his messianic role.

 

In his own farseeing wisdom, Jesus decided to permit this blending of the roles of the two Messiahs, even though their advent was two thousand years apart, and even though he was = the second Messiah. And he left the clarification of this complicated situation to the future. He saved this task for the prophet whom he knew he and his Father would send at the real end of the world, Elijah the Third. And this brings us to Elijah the Second, John the Baptist.

 

JOHN THE BAPTIST AS THE SECOND ELIJAH

 

For consistency’s sake, Jesus began to teach his disciples that his own executed herald, John the Baptist, was this promised Elijah of Malachi’s prophecy. And thus did Jesus, effectively create the typology of Elijah:

 

“And the, disciples asked him, ‘Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?’ He replied, ‘Elijah does come, and be is to restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of man will suffer at their hands.’ Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.”

Matthew 17:10-13

 

Thus did early beliefs about the end-times Messiah become erroneously crystallized around Jesus. The matter was settled once and for all. There was one Messiah, The Messiah had come Jesus was the Messiah-, And he himself had confirmed that John the Baptist was his “Elijah.”

 

There is clear proof that Jesus was eventually forced by circumstances into mislabeling his own forerunner, John the Baptist, after the latter’s death. This, to make it appear that hg was the Elijah forerunner of these two Messiahs, blended into one. This is to be found in the first chapter of John Zebedee’s gospel, verses 19 to 28.

 

Remember that the events described took place as John the Baptist had just begun to baptize at the Bethany ford in the river Jordan, and before Jesus had come to him for baptism to signify the beginning of the Master’s public career.

 

Religious officials sent from the Jerusalem temple confront John: “Are you Elijah?” He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the prophet?’ And he answered, ‘No.’”

John 1-21

 

Furthermore, the words of Malachi’s prophecy were plain and unmistakable.

 

Malachi wrote that this Elijah would come just “before the great and terrible day of the LORD.” These words, which echoed the earlier pronouncements of most of the prophets were crystal clear: “The day of the LORD” could only mean one thing: the end of the world and the NEW AGE.

 

For example, the prophet Amos counseled:

 

“Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD? It is darkness and not light.”

Amos 5:18

 

After Jesus ascended, the apostles and his early followers then sought to explain these obvious inconsistencies in the fulfillment of scripture prophecy concerning the righteous-king end-times Messiah who would come and rule over the entire world. They alleged that Jesus would indeed eventually do all these things when he returned at the end of the age. And they taught that such a day was then near at hand. They asserted that Jesus was a Prince. He had unquestionably defeated the devil and had overthrown the invisible Prince of this world, thereby gaining for himself the title Prince of Peace, (Isaiah 9:6; John 12:31, 16:11; Matthew 4:8-11)

 

This further led to error compounded upon error, Concerning the time of his promised return visit to this world, the Master plainly stated:

 

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, ...but the Father only.”

Matthew 24:36

 

Notwithstanding these plain words, the apostles began to blithely teach that he would return Al the end of the world. Now that 2000 years have nearly passed, the end of the world is indeed coming soon, in the latter twentieth century. But no one on earth can presume to announce whether the Master will revisit this world at that time.

 

The Jews never lost sight of this distinct end-times Messiah. Although, for consistency’s sake, since the ancient Jews refused to receive Jesus, modern Jews teach that the Suffering Messiah hasn’t come yet either. Thus have these two great world religions, Judaism and Christianity, remained at loggerheads for twenty centuries. Both have a partially correct, and partially incorrect concept of the real truth. And this brings us to another world religion, Zoroastrianism, and its interpretation of these things.

 

TWO MESSIAHS AS THREE SAVIORS

 

Zoroaster taught in Persia in the sixth century before Christ, founding the religion which bears his name.

 

The Avestas or sacred writings of Zoroastrianism came close to the truth when they pronounced that the world would have three saviors, each coming one thousand years apart.

 

In fact, there are really only two saviors, albeit three visitations, for the first and third are one and the same personality. And they are two thousand years apart, not one thousand. And the two visitations of the same being, the first and third saviors, we will now discuss. He is Melchizedek of Salem, and HE is, in fact and in truth, the righteous-king end-times Messiah.

 

MELCHIZEDEK OF SALEM

 

During the times of the Hebrew patriarch Abraham, about two thousand years before Jesus, the world was slowly plunging into evil and spiritual darkness.

 

Wherefore did God send into this world to incarnate as a man and rekindle spiritual awareness, a being of the highest order of the Sons of God in this universe, a Melchizedek.

 

Little is recorded in scriptural history of the transcendent work of this Emergency Melchizedek who became King of Salem, the Palestinian -city later called Jebus, then eventually Jerusalem. One of the writers of the New Testament Book of Hebrews, however, understood his supernatural origin, for he wrote:

 

“He is without father or mother or genealogy, and has neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.”

Hebrews 7-3

 

His first name was Machiventa, and this Melchizedek appeared on earth suddenly in a specially constructed mortal body. In all appearances he resembled a normal looking adult Semitic man. He disappeared, just as suddenly and unexpectedly, ninety-four years later.

 

He had no herald or forerunner, no Elijah to announce his coming.

 

He taught Abraham the saving message that people could find favor with God through faith alone -- no works were necessary, like sacrifices or religious ritual for atonement. This was news so good, that few of Abraham’s contemporaries and followers could bring themselves to believe it for very long. After Melchizedek left, they soon reverted to olden practices of first-born human and animal sacrifices. We see this reversion in the pathetic and revolting tale in Genesis chapter 22, God allegedly directing Abraham to slay his son Isaac, and then staying his hand.

 

Melchizedek also made a covenant with Abraham. Abraham agreed to believe, and God promised through Melchizedek, that Abraham’s offspring, the Jews, would be fruitful and would occupy the land of Canaan as theirs. (Genesis 15) And then Melchizedek returned to his heavenly place, the eternity service of Christ Michael.

 

WHO IS CHRIST MICHAEL?

 

We have already suggested how the role of the second savior in this Zoroastrian trinity of saviors was Jesus of Nazareth as the Suffering Messiah, indeed, a Son of the living God.

 

It would also be appropriate at this point to indicate that this same Jesus is known on high as Michael. In. fact, he is called *Christ Michael,” the descriptive title of his touchingly beautiful human achievement on earth having been added to his universe title, “Christ” is the Greek word meaning “Messiah.” He is the Creator Son of God who made and rules this entire universe.

 

The great Hebrew prophet Daniel had some understanding of these things, including Jesus’ then future title of Prince of Peace, for Daniel referred to him prophetically as “Michael your Prince.” (Daniel 101-21, 12:1) Michael is not an archangel.

 

THE LOST TEACHINGS OF JESUS

 

Much of Jesus’ wisdom was preserved in the New Testament writings, but much was also lost to the world. And this same Jesus never intended that the dead words on paper in this ancient scripture should replace the LIVING VOICE OF GOD INSIDE YOU TODAY. God is CHANGELESS, but your understanding of Him is ALWAYS CHANGING.

 

In fact, Jesus made great advances in our understanding of the Father. Moses portrayed God as demanding and powerful, fulminating from the Sinai volcano, yet ethical and willing to make a deal with his children. The later prophets taught He was a merciful and caring God. The Master revealed Him to be a LOVING FATHER, LIVING INSIDE OF EVERY INDIVIDUAL.

 

People who slavishly worship ancient scripture, with a false fear of sacredness and orthodoxy, effectively block this LIVING spiritual voice of God. And with that goes the TOLERANT love of one’s brothers and sisters today in the worldwide family of God.

 

Most of us carry on our mental thinking as a conversation with a kind of imaginary alter ego. Do you realize that when your thoughts are noblest and most selfless, IT IS GOD YOU ARE TALKING WITH?

 

The Master refused to countenance negative commandments – “thou shalt nots”-- he taught that sincerely BELIEVING that you were a child of God, would naturally make you ACT like one. He looked for the BEST in each of us.

 

You may think in terms of your faith in God, but Jesus was the living embodiment of how much faith God has in you.

 

The Master knew he had come into a world of barriers and intolerance among the adherents of different religious beliefs.

 

He taught that this diversity was okay, but not the intolerance. He wanted everyone to see the FACT of the family of God on earth. This family joins all of us together in an invisible spiritual union of God-indwelt mortals, regardless of individual approaches to this God in a religious affiliation sense.

 

While Jesus was a Jew among the Jews, his saving message of sonship and daughtership with God was intended for all the peoples and all religions of earth. He revealed the incredible truth that THE FATHER LIVES INSIDE YOU, that he bestows a piece of Himself as a gift to you, AUTOMATICALLY. All you have to do is BELIEVE, and for believing this great truth, Jesus promised the reward of eternal life. This is why he taught: “The kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21, KJV)

 

This is also why he taught as one having authority, and why he appealed to no existing scriptures for his teaching authority. (Matthew 7:28-29, John 5:26-27) Similarly, Elijah the Third, who teaches today in Jesus’ name, derives his teaching authority from NO SCRIPTURE, but from the LIVING GOD INSIDE HIM. And his message is directed to the individual fragment of this same GOD LIVING INSIDE YOU.

 

The Master taught that religious diversity betokens the multiform mosaic of the individuality of God’s myriad children, living happily in the shadow of HIS ABSOLUTE UNITY.

 

And he made it clear that religious pride and superiority, the presumptuous and arrogant idea that one’s religion is better or truer than someone else’s, or is the sole vehicle of salvation, is an abomination to this same loving Father. All sincere religious faith has merit, and is bona fide in the sight of the Father.

 

The Master implied that anyone who presumes to stand athwart the gates of heaven, and deny entry to a sincere and faithful penitent of any faith, WILL FIND HIMSELF WITHOUT THE GATES! He meant it when he said: “Judge not, that you be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1)

 

This world will yet learn this mutual love and tolerance as the family of God, for the Master, as Christ Michael, is about to send a VICEGERENT PRINCE or vicar to rule this world in his name.

 

THE VICEGERENT PRINCE AS THE THIRD SAVIOR

 

It doesn’t take a lot of thinking to realize that such a Creator Son of God, overseeing nearly four million inhabited worlds like this earth, with celestial governments upon governments of systems and constellations, is not going to personally come back to rule this earth into the glorious future of the NEW AGE. Visit, yes, but at a time not known on earth.

 

In fact, this same Melchizedek of Salem has instead been assigned by Christ Michael to rule this world as its resident Prince into this NEW AGE.

 

As such, he will fill the role of third savior in the Avestas of Zoroastrianism, ruling as VICEGERENT PRINCE in the name of he who actually holds the title of Prince, Jesus of Nazareth, or Christ Michael.

 

Thus he will become, in Jesus’ name, the Lord of all the earth, LORD MACHIVENTA MELCHIZEDEK, PANTOCRATOR OF PLANETARY DESTINY.

 

THE PANTOCRATOR OF PLANETARY DESTINY?

 

It is easy to see that the Hebrew view of a Jewish Messiah ben David, perpetuator of an ancient Judahite dynasty, and agent of a fictional Jewish world rule, is severely limited. Such a notion is far transcended by the FACT of a spectacular divine being, surfeited with the wisdom of the ages, returning to earth in a flesh body to rule all the races and nations in God’s name.

 

Modern scholars have taken to calling this end-times Deliverer the PANTOCRATOR. (from the Greek words “pantos,” meaning “all” or “every,” and “kratos,” meaning ‘rule’ or “power”)

 

Thus will the third and final world savior simply be the first, Melchizedek, reincarnated 4000 years after his first incarnation. Only this time he comes not as an upholder and revivifier of the light of divine truth, but as a divinely sent world sovereign to govern the glorious NEW AGE, now so near at hand.

 

While he will again be a swarthy or Middle Eastern man in appearance, resembling a cross between Arab and Jew, his specially constructed mortal body will carry no human blood line. Ponder the fact that this tall, incarnated spirit being from heaven, whose very presence will instill awe and authority, is nearly 300 billion years old!

 

Incidentally, not all the Jews were confused about the pedigree of the inaptly named Messiah ben David. The Essenes, an ancient ultra orthodox sect of Jewry which existed before and during the times of Jesus, fully understood that Melchizedek was the end-times Messiah. One of their preserved scrolls, discovered only recently in this century at Qumran in Israel, describes this Melchizedek as the eventual Deliverer of the world, ultimate victor over evil.

 

It stands to reason that if Lord Machiventa is to rule all the peoples of earth, then we should find evidence of this fact, in a prophetic sense, in virtually all the religions and cultures of earth. And we do.

 

In the decade of the 1990s, a third world war will culminate in a nuclear catastrophe. About three billion of the five billion people on earth will perish in this holocaust and subsequent nuclear winter, but two billion or so selected survivors will be rescued by the direct intervention of God. A day shall come when not a single human being shall be left alive on earth!

 

They will be transferred by angelic transport to an emergency evacuation world now being prepared. It is called GRACELAND, PARADISE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. It is not far from earth, but is virtually invisible, since it is an enclosed or insulated world, and radiates no light or heat to space.

 

The only requirement you need to be counted among the selected rescued survivors is your FAITH IN GOD. Your religious affiliation is irrelevant!

 

And you can do nothing to prepare for this world crisis except to live as a loving child of God as you await deliverance, No fallout shelters nor tons of extra food will save you on that day. But angels will.

 

This brings us to Elijah the Third, Malachi’s prophet of the end-times.

 

THE MISSION OF ELIJAH THE THIRD

 

This pamphlet began by reminding the reader that great events in the world’s history involving God are ANNOUNCED.

 

Thus has God once again sent a prophet into this world whose mission of proclamation to earth is multifold.

 

Elijah the Third, whose work has now begun is:

 

A. Forerunner of the PANTOCRATOR.

He is to introduce this heaven sent world ruler, Melchizedek, to the peoples of this war weary planet, as well as the other supernatural beings whom Lord Machiventa will bring with him;

 

B. Herald of the NEW AGE.

He is to proclaim the final dawning on earth of the hopes and dreams of the ages, a utopian Golden Age of universal peace amidst undreamed of health and prosperity for the survivors;

 

C. Consoler of the world.

Elijah is to REASSURE the people of earth that the terrible destruction and suffering of the events of the soon end of the world, are but the birthpangs of the NEW AGE. And like the birthpangs of an expectant mother, they will be quickly forgotten in the joy and happiness of your new life in GRACELAND, and eventually,-the NEW EARTH. He is to urge the good people of earth to face this impending catastrophe and world crisis with patience, forbearance, and SUBLIME FAITH IN GOD’S PROMISED DELIVERANCE;

 

D. Messenger of the Covenant.

He is to restore the lost teachings of Jesus: the FATHER -WITHIN -YOU, and Jesus’ joyous message of good will: the family of God on earth amidst religious and cultural diversity. He is to help people to discover that God is not a promulgator of archaic laws of conduct, perpetuated by fossilized ancient scripture to be slavishly followed to the letter. Rather, He is a LIVING PRESENCE INSIDE YOU who can and does COMMUNICATE WITH YOU in the language and thought of today. And that which He most wants you to do is to LOVE, FORGIVE the wrongs that others do to you; THE UNIVERSAL FATHER OF ALL IS YOUR FATHER, AND HE LOVES YOU WITH A FATHER’S LOVE! It was of this task assigned to the third Elijah that the prophet Jeremiah wrote:

 

“Behold, the days are coming says the Lord when I will make a new covenant... I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts, and I will be their God and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord.”

Jeremiah 31:31, 33-34

 

Elijah will take nothing away from anyone’s religious beliefs. He will urge the Catholic to be a better Catholic, the Jew to regularly attend synagogue service, and the Moslem not to neglect his daily prayers to Allah. And to those who have no affiliation, he will hold out the social coming together of the family of God. All religions contain some truth. Elijah will teach that there is not a single religion on earth that could not benefit from the highest of the truths of all other religions.

Jesus originally intended that his followers should come together for a friendly social meal. At the end of the meal he suggested a toast in his memory. What a testament to this neat Son of God who wanted believers just to come together as a family and EAT!

 

E. Champion of the Family.

Never before in world history has the family, the essential engine in the advance of civilization, faced a greater threat. The manic pursuit of every pleasure in a climate of almost daily and costly intoxication, with every imaginable substance, turns parents away from selfless child care, to drugged self-contemplation.

Easy divorce reduces many modern unions to little more than trial marriages, a type of decadent free love. The destabilized family is now breaking down and limping as an educational institution of the torchbearers of the next generation. Children should not be subjected to a SUCCESSION of parents. The liberation and equality of women is well earned and long deserved, but it too has thrown the family into uncertainty -- parenting and family life has become passé as a female career. The result has been the impersonal shifting of parenting responsibility to the state in day care enterprises.

Children are aborted in the womb with merciless disregard for their right to life, are seen at best as economic liabilities, and at worse, as easy prey for every kind of abuse.

Little wonder that the prophet Malachi foresaw that Elijah the Third would be sent by a loving God to plead an end to this worldwide trend of family decay, and the tragic breakdown of child culture, which can only lead to the suicide of civilization. Malachi wrote:

 

“And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers.”

Malachi 4:5

 

KEEP THE FAITH!

 

The kingdoms of this world are about to destroy themselves. And the Kingdom of God will come in their place.

 

The secularism, materialism, and nationalistic imperialism of a world divided by a titanic ideological struggle, is about to bring this planet to its knees. BUT THE FAITHFUL HAVE NOTHING. TO FEAR! YOU SHALL BE DELIVERED!

 

[Apologies for any remaining scan/ocr errors. –Norm]