THE MALACHI 4 PROPHETS

There have been different schools of thought as to who the prophets of Malachi 4:5-6Malachi 4:5-65 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
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. are. Some believe that this has been wholly fulfilled by John the Baptist, Some believe that it was fulfilled in totality by the Prophet of the age, William Marrion Branham. With a careful study of the scriptures, we would find out who the prophets of Malachi 4:5-6Malachi 4:5-65 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
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. are.

5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
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.

—Malachi 4:5-6

Key Terms

1. Elijah The Prophet
2. The Great and Dreadful Day of The Lord
3. The Heart of The Fathers
4. The Heart of The Children

Elijah The Prophet

Elijah was an Old Testament Prophet known peculiarly for the restoration of the true worship of Yahweh (1Kings 18). So we can say that Elijah is associated with restoration.

And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

—2 Kings 2:15

The sons of the prophet  (these weren’t carnal men)  said that the spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. This doesn’t teach incarnation as some sects claim, but rather points to the fact that the anointing that was upon Elijah had come upon Elisha. As a matter of fact, Elisha received a double portion of that anointing (2 Kings 2:92 Kings 2:9And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. ) .  Yes, the man may die, but the anointing doesn’t die.  This knowledge is necessary as we continue in this study.

So far, we have learned that Elijah the spirit is associated with restoration and that God can anoint any man with the same anointing that was upon another man that had once lived.

The Great and Dreadful Day Of The Lord

In scriptures, “A Day” doesn’t always point to our 24-hour understanding of days (Genesis 1:5Genesis 1:5And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. ; 2 Peter 3:82 Peter 3:8But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ). The day of the Lord refers to that period when the Lord Jesus Christ returns bodily to earth to avenge His adversaries. (Joel 1:15Joel 1:15 Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. ; Amos 5:18Amos 5:18 Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord ! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. ; Zephaniah 1:14, 18Zephaniah 1:14,18 14 The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land. ). Let me say at this point that there is a difference between the appearing of the Lord in the sky and the corporeal return of the Lord. In the former, He appears in the Sky, while in the latter, He steps his foot on Mount Olives (2 Timothy 4:82 Timothy 4:8Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. ; Titus 2:13Titus 2:13Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; ; Zechariah 14:4Zechariah 14:4And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. ; Acts 1:12Acts1:12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey. ). The Day of The Lord is a 75-day period comprising of the Armageddon war and the Judgement of Nations (Daniel 12:11-12Daniel 12:11-1211 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. ; Matthew 25:31-32Matthew 25:31-3231 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: )

5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
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.

—Malachi 4:5-6

In this passage, we see God saying HE will send Elijah the prophet to

1. Turn the heart of the Fathers to the Children.
2. Turn the heart of the Children to their Fathers.

Israel had stayed a period of almost 400 years without any major prophet and then John the Baptist came on the scene.

1. Who was John the Baptist?
2. What did he do?
3. What was his message?

13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
17 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 1:13-17

2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
4 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.

—Luke 3:2-4

19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
23 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 1:19-23

Other Prophecies about John the Baptist are Isaiah 40:3Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord , make straight in the desert a highway for our God. , Malachi 3:1Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. . Jesus, when He was asked, called John The Baptist, Elijah.

11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.

—Matthew 11:11-14

10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.
13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

—Matthew 17:10-13

It is evidently clear from the above scriptures that John the Baptist was Elijah (Matthew 11:14Matthew 11:14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. ; Matthew 17:12-13Matthew 17:12-13 12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.
13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. ) and He came in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the heart of the fathers to the children (Luke 1:17Luke 1:17 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. ) which he did and fulfilled. Let me quickly interpolate here that Prophecies could be dual fulfillment.

1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

—Isaiah 61:1-2

18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

—Luke 4:18-20

Jesus immediately after his fasting, the Spirit of God led him to identify the scriptures written concerning him (Hebrews 10:7Hebrews 10:7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. ). He took the scrolls of Prophet Isaiah and turned to Isaiah 61 and read the prophecy concerning him; howbeit he didn’t complete the reading. He stopped at “the acceptable year of The Lord” (verse 19Luke 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. ) and He closed the book (verse 20Luke 4:20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. ) and went further to say “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your eyes” (verse 21Luke 4:21And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. ). But remember He didn’t talk about the day of vengeance (Isaiah 61:2Isaiah 61:2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord , and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; ). Now I have a question:

Will The Day Of Vengeance Be Fulfilled? When?

In Jesus’ 1^st advent, He came to preach the acceptable year of the Lord, good tidings, but in his 2^nd advent, He will come for vengeance, surely He will recompense (Hebrews 10:30Hebrews 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. ). Just like the above prophecy, a part of Malachi 4:5-6Malachi 4:5-65 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord :
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. was fulfilled by John in which John the Baptist turned the heart of the fathers to the children. Surely the 2^nd part must be fulfilled (Luke 21:33Luke 21:33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. ; Isaiah 55:11Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. ).

The Fathers and The Children

The fathers of John the Baptist days were the Jewish fathers or the Fathers of Judaism. Those who held tenaciously to Moses; the Scribes and Pharisees who sit in Moses’ seat (Matthew 23:2Matthew 23:2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: ), holding the tradition of the elders (Mark 7:3-5Mark 7:3-5 3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.
5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? ). Remember, Israel received the lively oracles from God (Acts 7:38Acts 7:38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us: ). These Fathers are not Fathers because of their age, but rather because of their understanding of the Jewish religion and those things associated with the law and prophets.

In Matthew 17:10Matthew 17:10And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? we see Peter, James and John ask Jesus a good question: “why say the scribes that Elijah must first come?” This they did because they held on to words of the interpreters of the law and prophets. We also see Elisha calling Elijah father (2 Kings 2:122 Kings 2:12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. ). So the fathers and the children don’t differ by age. These religious fathers were caught up in traditions, making the word of God of none effect (Matthew 15:2-6Matthew 15:2-6 2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. ; Mark 7:3-7Mark 7:3-73 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.
5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. ). Their worship had become vain and their heart far from God.

Some examples include Nicodemus (John 3:1 John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: , John7:50-52 John7:50-52 50 Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,)
51 Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?
52 They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. ) and Joseph Arimathaea (Luke 23:50 Luke 23:50 And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just: ) who of worthy note had their heart turned (John 19:38-39 John 19:38-39 38 And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.
39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. ). Let me quickly state that  John the Baptist himself changed orders in order to change the Priesthood Order. He was a Levite, a Priest but was ordained by God a Prophet and he was the one that changed the Priesthood from Aaronic to Melchizedek Priesthood . The Children of John the Baptist days as we have stated earlier has nothing to do with age. We observe in the Gospels that Jesus likened his disciples to Children (Matthew 18:2-4 Matthew 18:2-42 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.; Luke 17:1-2 Luke 17:1-2 1 Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!
2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.; Mark 9:42 Mark 9:42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.; Luke 7:28 Luke 7:28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. ).

1 Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!
2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

—Luke 17:1-2

The Fathers and the Children have both been identified; the fathers being the Scribes, Jewish fathers while the children are the Disciples of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist foreran the coming of Christ (Luke 7:27 Luke 7:27 This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. ) in the power and spirit of Elijah to turn the heart of the fathers to the children (Luke 1:17 Luke 1:17 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. ) and he preached the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 3:2 Matthew 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. ).

The Kingdom of Heaven

Matthew 13 gives us a clear view concerning the Kingdom of Heaven with the seven parables mentioned in it. This Kingdom of Heaven speaks of the Gospel Age of which the Gentiles is included, and as a matter of fact, runs the course of the Seven Gentile Church ages mentioned in Revelations 2 and Revelations 3. From Daniel seventy weeks vision (Daniel 9), we understand that Messiah was rejected and cut off. The Jews rejected their Messiah and killed him (Daniel 9:26 Daniel 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. ). Messiah then turned to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46 Acts 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. ) leaving one week, the Seventieth week for Messiah to deal with Israel (Daniel 9:27 Daniel 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. ). Apostle Paul called this a Mystery (Romans 11:25 Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. ), even the Mystery of God.

The Blood of Jesus or God as Paul puts it in Acts 20:28 Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. was not Jewish blood, neither was it shed for only Jews (John 3:16 John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ; 1 John 2:2 1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. ). That same blood of Jesus had a voice like that of Abel (Hebrews 12:24 Hebrews 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. ) speaking better things in that it called the Gentiles, a people who were not a people unto the commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:12 Ephesians 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: )

So far, we have seen the following:

• John the Baptist fulfilled the 1^st part of the Malachi 4:5-6 Malachi 4:5-6 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord :
  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. prophecy and
• The Gospel age included the Gentiles (Matthew 24:14 Matthew 24:14 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. ; Acts 1:8 Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. ).

The church started on the Day of Pentecost and just as it is usual for children to grow, the Children in the days of John the Baptist had “grown” to become the Apostolic Fathers.

For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

—1 Corinthians 4:15

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

—1 John 2:1

Again, let me emphasize that the term Fathers and Children are not based on an age factor. In the above scriptures, we see Paul and John calling those whom the preaching of the Gospel had begotten—Children. Definitely there would be older people in those groups whom these Apostles called Children. The Church has run from Ephesus down to Laodicea (Revelation 2 and Revelation 3) and children have been borne by the preaching of the gospel.

However, just like Israel, before the coming of John the Baptist, there has been a great apostasy and many have been caught up in creeds, dogma and church traditions. In Matthew 25, though Virgins, they were all found to be sleeping while the bridegroom tarried (Matthew 25:5 Matthew 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. ). There has been great religiosity and less spirituality. The nation Israel types the Church which is Spiritual Israel. There is a work of restoration to be done and which one other than Elijah would be raised up by God? There must be a return to the standard set by the church that started on the day of Pentecost both in Doctrine and Power, there must be a return to the Original Apostolic Faith.

5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
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.

—Malachi 4:5-6

The Children and Their Fathers

The heart of the Children must be turned to their Fathers. The word “their” in verse 6Malachi 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. points to the fact that there is a relation between the children and the fathers, which is the Word of God by which the children were borne by the Gospel. The gospel had spread and children have been borne by the preaching of the gospel. Also, these fathers were the children in the days of John the Baptist who had “grown” and now become Apostolic Fathers.

Since we don’t expect a return ministry for John the Baptist, and it would be foolishness for him to come and turn the heart of the children to their fathers, he can’t be the one to fulfill the 2^nd part of the Malachi 4:5-6 Malachi 4:5-65 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord :
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. prophecy. Also, since the gospel age incorporated the Gentiles and blindness in part must happen to Israel till the fullness of the Gentiles be come in (Romans 11:25 Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.), there must be one among the Gentiles anointed with the Spirit of Elijah to fulfill the turning of the heart of the Children to the Apostolic Fathers.

Now, I am not here to preach a man but I must say that in this age, God raised a Prophet. His name was William Marrion Branham of which God vindicated to be Elijah with the Pillar of Fire and other divers signs. The crux of his message was  “go back to the bible”, ‘back to the original”, “back to the original!”  He told us the truth concerning the Original sin, the Godhead and Water Baptism. He was also used by God to REVEAL the Seven Seals which was OPENED by Jesus Christ in Revelation 5 (He revealed and expounded the content of the first six seals because the 7^th was silence when opened, however, He told us the seventh seal is the coming of the Lord, that no man knoweth.). He was chosen by God to restore the denominational children from 1906 to the original faith of their fathers, The Apostles.

How are we going to contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints (Jude vs 3 Jude vs 3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. ) if we are not first restored to it? Just like John the Baptist, he was a lamp, a star (John 5:30-35 John 5:30-35 30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
31 If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
32 There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.
33 Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth.
34 But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved.
35 He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. , Revelation 1:20 Revelation 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.) and he pointed to Christ. He was the angel to the church of Laodicea (Revelation 3:14Revelation 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; , Revelation 10:7 Revelation 10:7But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.), he made the Midnight Cry of Matthew 25:6Matthew 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. , fulfilled scriptures written concerning him in Luke 17:30 Luke 17:30Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. when he revealed the Son of Man to the Gentiles, a bringing back of the Messianic sign Jesus showed to Jew (John 1:47John 1:47Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!; Luke 5:22Luke 5:22But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?); Samaritan ( John 4:18-19John 4:18-1918 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.) but didn’t show the Gentiles ( John 12 :20-24John 12 :20-2420 And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:
21 The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.
22 Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.
23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. ) and finally turned the heart of the Children to their Apostolic fathers (Malachi 4:6b Malachi 4:6b and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. )

To believe God is to believe whom God has sent (John 5:38 John 5:38And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. ; John 6:29 John 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. ). Like John the Baptist he was sent with a message to forerun the 2^nd coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and was anointed in the Spirit and Power of Elijah (Malachi 4:5-6 Malachi 4:5-65 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord :
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.; Matthew 17:11 Matthew 17:11And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.). Please note that Matthew 17:11 Matthew 17:11And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. doesn’t pertain only to William Marrion Branham.

After Elijah the Tishbite, Elisha, John the Baptist, there is the 4^th Elijah: William Branham. He didn’t restore ALL things, he only restored the Gentile Church back to their apostolic fathers.

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.

—Matthew 17:11

3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
5 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.
6 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.

—Revelation 11:3-6

There is an Elijah (the 5^th and final) that will appear again, this time alongside Moses and God calls them his two witnesses (verse 3Revelation 11:3And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. ). By then, the fullness of the Gentiles has come in and the Gentile bride–wife has been raptured. By type and shadows we know this to be true, Joseph a perfect type of Jesus Christ when he was making himself known to his brothers, didn’t allow any Egyptian to be there (Genesis 45:1 Genesis 45:1Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.). Remember Joseph married an Egyptian.

This Elijah that comes with Moses will take place in the 70^th week of Daniel, in which they will seal the 144,000 Jewish manservants (Revelation 7) and this is immediately at the close of the Gentile Age or Seven Church Ages. That there is an interval allocated to the gentiles is also supported by the Feasts of Yahweh (Leviticus 23) in which there is an interval of 119 days from the Feast of Pentecost to the Feast of Trumpets, same as there is an interval from the 69th week of Daniel to the 70^th week (Daniel 9).