When reading scripture, we must always let scripture interpret scripture. Many mistakes are made today as they were in the days of our Lord Jesus Christ. The people of that day expected Malachi's prophecy to be fulfilled by the personal appearance of the man Elijah. "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" (Mal. 4:5-6). The Pharisees sent men to ask if John the Baptist was the Elijah to come. "And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No" (John 1:21). When John denied that he was neither Elijah or "that Prophet" they exclaimed: ‘Then said they unto him, Who art thou? That we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?" (John 1:22). To this John answered: "He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias" (John 1:23). John was the voice proclaiming an Elijah message. Just as Mr. Herbert Armstrong always said that, "He was a voice, or type of Elijah." He never proclaimed to be the Elijah to come!

Christ was asked by His disciples: "Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?" (Matt. 17:10). Jesus confirmed the fact that John the Baptist had carried out the mission that was foretold by the angel, prior to his birth, "And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:17). Christ said, "And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear" (Matt. 11:14-15). Thus, the call to return to righteousness went out before the first advent of our Lord, and it is going out now before His second coming! In both instances the revelation of His coming follows the hearing of a voice! This voice is crying out in the wilderness [the world]! The Bible clearly identifies this voice [this message] that is to be proclaimed immediately prior to the second coming of Christ. The Voice [the message] will be loud and continuous like the blowing of a trumpet sounding an alarm. God inspired Isaiah to record this voice [this message] to be sounded once again like a voice crying out in the wilderness. Notice Isaiah 58:1, "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins."

Christ said of John the Baptist, "They knew him not!" This can be said today of the unnamed voice that is being lifted up like a trumpet. This Voice [the message] is calling attention to the individual and national sins of the people of God. Each person must realize the importance of individual responsibility to pray, study and meditate on God's Word. Each person must individually respond to the warning that is going out to the world today! The ever increasing warning message is being voiced to the Churches of God. The warning is being sent to those who have an ear to hear and an eye to read God's Truth!! John tells us in the fourteenth Chapter of Revelation, "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters" (Rev. 14:6-7).

The everlasting gospel is the "gospel of the Kingdom of God." The definition is found in Christ's statement "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come" (Matt. 24:14). The gospel to be preached "only as a witness" throughout the Christian era is now to be proclaimed with "a loud voice!" This is the warning call to all people and nations to recognize and accept the laws of righteousness. Without acceptance of the law, the proclamation of Isaiah will be upon them. "For the nation and kingdom that will not serve Thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted" (Isa. 60:12). The everlasting gospel is about the Kingdom of God, the government of God! An enormous problem in God's Church today is that no one wants government! No one wants to be told from God's Word, what to do! The Elijah voice message clearly states that we must return to the laws of the fathers--the commandments, statutes and judgments! We must restore the true government of God.

Peter spoke at the beginning of the Christian era and during the gospel age about the glad tidings of personal salvation! Now, at the end of the age and the time of restitution [getting back to what our forefathers taught] is at hand, the gospel of the Kingdom [government] is being proclaimed! Jesus said, "But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come" (Matt. 10:23). This could not be said of the message of personal salvation; for every city, town and state. All Israel's lands have had the gospel of salvation proclaimed unto them. But the gospel of the soon coming Kingdom, the return of Jesus Christ, as King of kings and LORD of lords, has not gone out to all of Israel! The restitution of God's law, statutes and judgments is the end time Elijah's voice--the message!

"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Prov. 14:12). God's people must learn that it is their responsibility to, "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (I Thess. 5:21). Christ said Elijah will come and restore all things [God's Truth], Statutes, Laws and Commandments (Matt. 17:11). The two witness spoken of in Revelation 11 are the only ones who will have that power to preach all things [God's Truth, Statutes, Judgments and Commandments] at the end time. "And I will give power unto My two witnesses, and they shall prophesy [preach] a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them" (Rev. 11:3-7). The two witnesses [and remnant churches] will be preaching to those who remain on this earth, that have not been taken to a place of protection (Revelation 12:17).

We are to warn God's people of the coming tribulation! Why tribulation? The reason is simple. God's chosen people, the House of Israel and the House of Judah will not obey God. They will not keep His Sabbaths holy as He has decreed! "Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye come to inquire of Me? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be inquired of by you. But they rebelled against Me, and would not hearken unto Me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out My fury upon them, to accomplish My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt" (Eze. 20:3,8). "Moreover also I gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them. But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness: they walked not in My statutes, and they despised My judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and My Sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out My fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them. But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness: they walked not in My statutes, and they despised My judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and My Sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out My fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them. But I wrought for My name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out. Yet also I lifted up My hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands; Because they despised My judgments, and walked not in My statutes, but polluted My Sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols" (Eze. 20:12-16). How much more do we need to read about God's Sabbaths! "I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes, and keep My judgments, and do them; And hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God. Notwithstanding the children rebelled against Me: they walked not in My statutes, neither kept My judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted My Sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out My fury upon them, to accomplish My anger against them in the wilderness. Nevertheless I withdrew Mine hand, and wrought for My name's sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth. I lifted up Mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries; Because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, and had polluted My Sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols" (Eze. 20:19-26). Ezekiel preached with an Elijah voice message, but the people did not heed!

John the Baptist was fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah as he preached in the wilderness the Elijah voice message! "And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham" (Luke 3:3-8). Have we forgotten that God should be first in our life?