The book of Malachi contains one of the greatest prophecies in the Bible. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:5-6).

Packed inside these two verses is a powerful message about an end-time Elijah type, the Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord, and a wonderful world soon to come. This end-time Elijah is a monumental sign that the Great Tribulation and Jesus Christ’s return are imminent! We have taught for nearly 26 years that this man has already come and gone.

The fact that Christ and His disciples discussed this prophecy underscores its importance. “And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias [Elijah] must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things” (Matthew 17:10-11).

God sent this Elijah type to the Earth to restore all things in His Church before Christ’s Second Coming. Once this man left the scene in 1986, world events sped up rapidly. Times are now far more urgent. The passage in Malachi is a strong warning of coming calamity, but it is also one of the most majestic and wonderful prophecies in the Bible!

We can already see events building to the great and dreadful Day of the Lord. Rampant terrorism and violence in Syria and the Middle East has created a vacuum for Russia to move in and set up a stronghold. Muslim migrants are flooding into Europe, including Germany, seriously testing the tolerance of a nation that has already caused two world wars. Russia has taken Crimea and other parts of Ukraine, and China is seizing land in the South China Sea. Just a short time ago, no one could have foreseen Russia and China uniting. Now, they are allied and gobbling up the globe—and no one will stop them. We truly are in the prophesied times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24).

Meanwhile, the United States, the United Kingdom and the Jewish nation in the Middle East are the exact opposite of united. Our people are deeply divided while weapons of mass destruction are finding their way into the hands of the bad guys! The Gentiles gladly snatch up the power that our nations willingly relinquish.

Turning Hearts

Back to Malachi 4:6: “And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” This end-time Elijah was a real man who worked with real families.

When it says, “to smite the earth,” God is talking about the inhabitants of a region. In this case, the inhabitants are the ministers in God’s church because the entire book of Malachi is a condemnation of their actions. God emphatically tells them, “If you don’t teach this family message, you will lose your eternal life!”

Here is a Bible definition of the gospel: “the good news of the coming Family or Kingdom of God, which administers the government of God.” God will open up His Family to anyone who wants to be a part of it. The end-time Elijah taught this family message—about God bringing mankind into the God Family!

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God really will give everyone a chance to be in His Family. Right now, the God Family consists of the Father and the Son. God also wants innumerable children and a Bride for His firstborn Son. Those who yield to God before the Second Coming will receive the highest honor of becoming that Bride!

What man in this end time taught such a message?

A Clear Time Frame

“Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom” (Matthew 16:28). Jesus Christ didn’t return with power and glory 2,000 years ago. This is a vision.

“While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him” (Matthew 17:5). God and the Word became Father and Son upon the Word’s conception in the virgin Mary. God is a family. He wants us to know that human beings can be brought into His Family.

“And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead” (verses 6-9). Again, this was a vision of Christ’s return—not the real thing just yet. Still, this vision struck the disciples with fear because it was so realistic.

After witnessing a tremendous vision, the disciples had some questions for their Master. “And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?” (verse 10). They asked about the Malachi 4 Elijah type!

“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things” (verse 11). The Son of God Himself confirmed this Old Testament prophecy. The end-time Elijah restored the vital truths of God in the Church—not in the world because it is deceived (Revelation 12:9). God used this man to prepare the Church to marry His Son.

“There was an Elijah to come and to restore things to the Church,” Herbert W. Armstrong said on Sept. 16, 1985, exactly four months before his death. “That has happened! And what has been restored is the government of God and many of the truths, at least 17 or 18 principal, vital doctrines of the Church.”

The end-time Elijah is a bright and bold sign piercing the darkness of this world. His presence is proof that Christ’s return draws near! This man has come and gone already, meaning the worldwide suffering preceding the Messiah’s rule is nearly upon us.

Preparing the Way

“If” is one of the most pivotal words in the vast English language. God will protect His people from mounting world evils if we realize His purpose for sending the end-time Elijah.

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:19-21).

What must be restored to this world? God’s rule! God trusted Lucifer, who became Satan, to rule the Earth with God’s government and law. Despite being trained at God’s throne, Lucifer rebelled (Ezekiel 28:14-15). Christ must now return to restore to the world what the end-time Elijah has already restored to the Church.

Had Lucifer proven trustworthy on Earth, he would have ruled the universe. Instead, God is re-creating Himself in man through the family structure. God sent the modern Elijah type to strengthen our families and prepare the way for Jesus Christ’s return. We will soon establish God’s rule and way of life over this Earth and the entire universe! That’s why God must get man’s attention through the Great Tribulation. In this terrifying warning lies a much more tremendous hope for all of us.