ELIJAH TO COME!

ELIJAH TO COME!

A MESSAGE TO THE CHURCH OF GOD.

I wrote this in a public vehicle on my way from Kakamega to Nairobi, a journey of over 500 KM and that takes over 8 hours. The vehicle that am traveling in has tuned to a Christian Radio station that is proclaiming a forthcoming mega meeting in Kisumu (a lakeside town in western Kenya). Many people are calling in from allover Kenya inviting and others confirming their preparations for the ‘ Lord’s meeting’ What is certain is that many people may be millions will attend that meeting, that is from the calls that are being received in the station. The presenter a lady ‘pastor’ confirms that people from other countries and continents including Korea and Iran will be in attendance.

I have personally attended one of such meeting held by Dr. Edward David Owour and can confirm that people do attend in their millions. Infact they arrive even a week before the scheduled date!

I have listened severally to Dr. Owour and even read about him and his prophecies. He holds a doctor of philosophy and has been a professor teaching various universities in the world including USA and Israel. He then resigned from lecturing and entered into ministry as a full time minister of the gospel! This is really a bold step for such an educated mind!

Dr. Owour came into limelight in Kenya when he prophesized earthquakes in Nairobi and Turkey which came to pass. Since then he started preaching holiness and repentance, he one time said that unless people repented university way in Nairobi, Kenya shall divide into two due to earthquake, this infact never happened.

He is on record for rebuking other pastors and bishops for immorality and being materialistic. This did not go well with the pastors and it resulted in a war of words on national television stations. He has also baptized prominent personalities among them Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

Having lived and worked in Israel, Dr. Owour understands the Old Testament very well. I have heard him teach about the Sabbath and Holy days, but he does not advocate for their observance.

As millions of people are turning to him and others rejecting him, the Church of God 7^th Day is lost, it doesn’t know what to say about him. Some in the Church of God have rejected him on the basis of the Sabbath while others hold to his teaching of the Sabbath and the beards that he keep to accept him.

ELIJAH TO COME?

Prophet Malachi prophesized;

 “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.

Many people believe that Elijah came in the person of John the Baptist and thus this prophecy was fulfilled to its fullest. This prophecy had two parts;

(1)   To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children.

(2)   To turn the hearts of children to their fathers.

When John the Baptist came, this is what was said of him;

“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.

Here we are told that Elijah (read John the Baptist) came to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, but we are not told anything about turning the hearts of children to their fathers! Thus Elijah needs to come and finish the remaining part of this prophecy!! This might be the key reason why this generation is known as the most disobedient to their parents!

GAMALIEL’S ADVICE.

Dr. Owour had referred to himself as prophet, many of his followers refer to him as Elijah who was to come, and some refer to him as the last prophet of God who has come in the spirit of Elijah! Am not in the business of disputing any of these claims.

How can we know if he is or he is not? The question can be answered by seeking advice from a great scholar Gamaliel;

“Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space; And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. {Obeyed: or, believed}After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. {Obeyed: or, believed}And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.” Acts 5:34-39.

Dr. Owour is not the first to make such claims and I want to believe that he is not the last! Their was a man by the name Herbert Armstrong, a Sabbath keeper who rose, traveled allover the world claiming to be the end time Elijah! He gave many prophecies some of which came to pass while others did not! It’s amazing that Armstrong died and so was all his prophecies and claims, the church that he had started and at a time had over one million followers, disintegrated and now has over 20 different divisions. In recent years we have heard people like Osborn and the rest who came and moved millions but all that is history now!!

HOLINESS AND REPENTANCE.

Dr. Owour preaches repentance and holiness, I have listened him preach but he generally tells people to turn from their sins. Am not sure if these people really know what sin is all about. What do these people repent from? If only he could be frank and courageous enough to tell them that sin is going against the Ten Commandments.

Just the same way he has been rebuking adultery and murder; he should rebuke the other remaining sins that include breaking of the Sabbath day!!

A LESSON TO THE CHURCH OF GOD.

The Church of God is known for the claim that people can not accept its teaching as not many people can accept to leave their work on the Sabbath day or during the feast days. This has been the answer to their lukewormness and stagnation. This has been proved wrong by Dr. Owour! If people can close their businesses, use a fare and travel to Kisumu and other towns that he has been visiting for almost a week! Is it impossible for them to close on the Sabbath day?

The Church of God has lost touch with God, many have remained with the Sabbath without knowing that they have left the Holy Spirit and are walking dangerously. This is why many revival meetings leave no revival at all. Many Sabbath services have remained for customarily purposes; no Spirit of God is manifested during such meetings. If Elijah was to come, he was to come from The Church of God! But at the present state that the Church is in? It might be very difficult to have Elijah in it!!

Martin Makokha.

© Dec. 2011.

FOR OLVET RESEARCH GROUP ACADEMIC RESOURCE

BOX 1527-50100 KAKAMEGA.

Email: gchurchof@yahoo.com or m2khisa@yahoo.com