The Sending of The True Messenger of God In These Last Days

FROM TIME TO TIME God sends messengers to preach His message not only for people to be reconciled to Him but also for them to attain salvation on the day of Judgment. One way by which God makes known the coming of His messengers is through biblical prophecy. For instance, the sending of John the Baptist to prepare the way for the Lord Jesus was prophesied by Isaiah:

“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” (Isa. 40:3, King James Version)

Notice that the prophecy does not mention the personal name of the messenger who will “prepare the way of the Lord.” This prophecy was fulfilled in John the Baptist, who himself revealed what Isaiah prophesied concerning his authority to preach and to prepare the way of the Lord:

The Jewish authorities in Jerusalem sent some priests and Levites to John to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ John did not refuse to answer, but spoke out openly and clearly, saying: ‘I am not the Messiah.’ ‘Who are you, then?’ they asked. ‘Are you Elijah?’ ‘No, I am not,’ John answered. ‘Are you the Prophet?’ they asked. ‘No,’ he replied. ‘Then tell us who you are,’ they said. ‘We have to take an answer back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ John answered by quoting the prophet Isaiah: ‘I am “the voice of someone shouting in the desert: Make a straight path for the Lord to travel’!“

(Reference: John 1:19-23, TEV, Emphasis Mine)

The messenger sent to the Gentiles then was Apostle Paul. His mission of salvation to the Gentiles was anchored upon the prophecy written in Isaiah 49:6 which says:

“I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

(Reference: Revised Standard Version)

Notice also that in this prophecy, Paul’s personal name is also not mentioned. The only time his name is mentioned in connection with this prophecy is when he himself revealed that he was indeed the fulfillment (Acts 13:46-47, New King James Version).

OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST — THE GREATEST MESSENGER ― PROPHESIED

The greatest messenger of God, Jesus Christ, was also prophesied by Isaiah. The gospel of Luke narrates how Christ unraveled Isaiah’s prophecy regarding His authority to preach:

“Then Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath he went as usual to the synagogue. He stood up to read the Scriptures and was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed and announce that the time has come when the Lord will save his people.’ Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. All the people in the synagogue had their eyes fixed on him, as he said to them, ‘This passage of scripture has come true today, as you heard it being read’.”

(Reference: Luke 4:16-21 TEV, Emphasis Mine)

This prophecy quoted by our Lord Jesus Christ from Isaiah 61:1-3 also does not mention Christ’s name, yet, it is one of many biblical prophecies heralding the mission He was appointed to fulfill. Take note that God’s messengers, among them were John the Baptist, Apostle Paul, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who were commissioned by God through the prophecies written in the Holy Scriptures, yet, their names were not mentioned in the prophecy; each revealed their own prophecy by citing the scripture that pertained to them.

GOD'S MESSENGER IN THESE LAST DAYS

In these last days, we believe that God sent His messenger in fulfillment of another prophecy of Isaiah. Said the prophet:

“Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he … But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

(Reference: Isa. 41:4, 8-10 KJV, Emphasis Mine)

The “Jacob” and “Israel” mentioned in this prophecy would be from the “ends of the earth” and are recognized as the seed of Abraham. We believe that Brother Felix Y. Manalo and the Church Of Christ in these last days are the fulfillment of this prophecy.

Our critics would argue that this prophecy refers to Jacob and Israel of ancient times, that is, the descendants of Abraham in the flesh. Their understanding, however, is erroneous. We should remember that the above-cited verses pertain to a prophecy. Prophecies, generally, tell the future, not recount the past. The Book of Isaiah was proclaimed starting around 742 BCE (Introduction to the Book of Isaiah, RSV, p. 822) whereas the death of Jacob (Gen. 49:33) was sometime in 1,700 BCE as estimated by Bible scholars (The Lion Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Bible, p. 19). More or less, a thousand-year gap lies between the death of the old Jacob and the time this particular prophecy was told. Thus, old Jacob and ancient Israel could not have been the ones referred to in the prophecy.

According to this prophecy of Isaiah, God will be with the last. “The last” refers to God’s servant from the time “ends of the earth.” The period “end(s) of the earth” is different from the time “end of the earth.” The latter is synonymous with the end of the world or the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (Mt. 24:3). The apostles asked Jesus the signs of the end of the world. His reply was that they would hear of wars and rumors of wars, which would be followed by a war involving nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom; there would be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes. All these are signs that the end is at the very doors (Mt. 24:3-4, 6-8, 33). In other words, these events would happen during the period “end(s) of the earth” which precedes the time “end of the earth.” The fulfillment of the wars mentioned in the prophecy that would involve nations was the First World War and the Second World War. The First World War began on July 27, 1914, with the “first great campaign on the southeastern battle grounds,” when the “Austrian troops undertook their first invasion of Serbia,” following was the announcement of the Declaration of War on July 28, 1914 which the declaration was already signed one day prior by Emperor Franz Joseph on the 27th of 1914, marking the beginning of the period “ends of the earth” which are the beginning of sorrows or birth pangs:

“Jesus now tells His followers how they could discern when the world was actually entering into the beginning of the birth pangs that would bring about the rebirth of Israel and ultimately the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. The approach of the end of the age would see several phenomena on the earth occurring at the same time. Those phenomena, would be: 1. Many nations rising up against many other nations 2. Kingdoms rising against kingdoms 3. Famines 4. Disease epidemics 5. Earthquakes in various places. In Mark 13 the word troubles is used by our Lord instead of disease epidemics… Wars between nations, or even between kingdoms, is and has been a common occurrence. History has recorded famines at various times. There have been times of great disease epidemics. There have been earthquakes in the past, but increasingly so in the present day. Jesus tells His disciples, however, to be awaiting a specific time during which all of these phenomena would be in evidence at the same time. The first such time in world history occurred during the years of World War I (1914-1918) …”

(Reference: Matt. 24:6-8 footnote, Last Days Bible, Emphasis Mine)

“The first great campaign on the southeastern battle grounds of the Great War began on July 27, 1914, when the Austrian troops undertook their first invasion of Serbia.”

(Reference: The Story of the Great War, Vol. 3, p. 923, Emphasis Mine)

“On 27 July 1914 the Austrian foreign minister Berchtold requested Emperor Franz Joseph to sign the declaration of war, on the express grounds that the situation called for swift action, in order to achieve a fait accompli that would forestall any possible peace initiative on the part of the Triple Entente.

“At the same moment news arrived of an exchange of fire between Austrian and Serbian units on the Serbian border, which was immediately communicated to Franz Joseph at his summer residence in Bad Ischl. Under the impression that there had been a Serbian act of aggression he signed the declaration of war that very same day, 27 July, …”

(Reference: News press, Special edition of the Arbeiterzeitung of 29 July 1914, Emphasis Mine)

It is during this period that the prophesied messenger would emerge.

In what particular place of the world would this prophesied messenger come from? The messenger would come from the “islands” in the east as what is testified to in the preceding verses (Isa. 41:1-2, Ibid.). The “east” mentioned in this particular verse is “mizrach” in the Hebrew Bible and it refers to the “far east” as what is also testified to by William Smith:

“… on the other hand, mizrach is used of the far east. … Isa. 41:2, 25; 43:5; 46:11.“

(Reference: Smith’s Bible Dictionary, p.154, Emphasis Mine)

The Philippines is composed of thousands of islands and is a nation in the “far east.“:

“The Philippines is an archipelago that comprises 7,641 islands, …”

(Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Geography_of_the_Philippines, Emphasis Mine)

“It cannot be without significance that the country which stands almost at the geographical center of the Far East, the Philippines, also be that in which Christianity has taken the deepest root.”

(Reference: Asia and the Philippines, p.169, Emphasis Mine)

“The Philippines … is the only Christian nation in the Far East.”

(Reference: International Security and the United States: An Encyclopedia, Vol. II, p. 614, Emphasis Mine)

Undoubtedly and concretely proven, the Philippines is located almost at the geographic center of the Far East and is recognized as the only Christian country in which Christianity has taken the deepest roots. A country that recognizes the God of Israel (Isa. 24:15 NIV) and comprises around 7,640 islands.

The task assigned by God to the last messenger is to “… bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth” (Isa. 43:6, KJV). These sons and daughters are from the Far East (Isa. 43:5, Moffatt Translation), and they will be called after the name that God created for His glory (Isa. 43:7). This name created for God’s glory is none other the name of Christ or the Church Of Christ (Phil. 2:11 NKJV; John 17:11 GOD’S WORD Translation; Eph. 4:12, Norlie’s New Testament). This was fulfilled when Brother Felix Y. Manalo preached the Iglesia Ni Cristo in the Philippines, a country in the Far East whom God has “taken from the ends of the earth” and called him His “servant” in whom God strengthened and upheld with His “righteous right hand.”:

“You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its farthest regions, And said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand’.”

(Reference: Isa. 41:9-10 NKJV, Emphasis Mine)

THE NAME "FELIX Y. MANALO" CANNOT BE FOUND IN THE OLD OR NEW TESTAMENT

Despite the concrete historical fulfillment of the various biblical prophecies of God’s last messenger recorded in the holy scriptures, detractors to this day attempt to mock the doctrine of the last messenger preached by the Iglesia Ni Cristo; they claim that since the name Felix Manalo cannot be found in the Bible, therefore he is but a self-proclaiming preacher and a false prophet. Suppose we are to succumb to such a silly, erroneous argument or reasoning. Are we also to believe that John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, and the Apostle Paul are also false prophets since their names were not recorded in Prophesy in the book of Isaiah? In their quick defense, they say the name of these messengers can later be found in the New Testament writings, but nowhere can we find the name Felix Manalo. This is ― a very shallow and nonsensical argument posed by our detractors. But why do we say so?

The question is, “Why are the names of these other messengers found later in the New Testament?” The answer is obvious. It’s because the New Testament was written at a later time when the Old Testament prophecies and these various messengers and their mission had already been fulfilled. We must also note that the name of the one prophesied is not mentioned; otherwise, anyone can claim it for themselves.

As proven, John the Baptist, Jesus, and Apostle Paul each revealed their own prophecy, as well as the commissioning of the late Bro. Felix Manalo and his work of salvation in these last days from the “ends of the earth.” Thus, the fulfillment of his work took place at the prophetic time “ends of the earth,” a time when both the Old and the New Testaments had already been completed; hence, common sense tells us it’s impossible for his name to have been recorded in the bible.

Through the instrumentality of the Late Bro. Felix Manalo, who re-established the true Church Of Christ whose founder is none other than Christ Himself, today the church has span at a phenomenal, unprecedented pace across the globe, reaching an international membership comprising 151 racial and ethnic backgrounds. It maintains nearly 7,000 congregations and missions grouped into more than 178 ecclesiastical districts in 166 countries and territories on six of the world’s inhabited continents.

IN CONCLUSION

1

We must remember that when the first-century Church Of Christ was apostatized, some of the members possessing the true faith were killed by persecution and the rest died natural deaths. However, the Church’s founder, Christ, and His gospel remained. Hence, when God’s sons and daughters in the “ends of the earth” or in these last days were gathered―through the instrumentality of Brother Felix Y. Manalo as an organization of true believers, the Church Of Christ was once again established. It is in this Church where people in these last days will be gathered to be reconciled to the true God and be saved come Judgment Day.

2

WE KINDLY EXTEND our visitors an invitation to explore the pristine, unadulterated teachings of Christ and His apostles as they were taught in the first-century Church Of Christ. These teachings present the path that leads to eternal life for all people on the appointed day:

God's Last Messenger

AFTER THE GREAT Apostasy, it was prophesied by the bible that the true Church Of Christ, necessary for man’s salvation, would reemerge in the Far East through God’s last messenger in these last days. This messenger’s mission is to restore the original Church Of Christ and its pristine teachings of Christ and to introduce the one true God – the Father…

The Apostasy

AFTER THE DEATH of Jesus Christ and His Apostles, the Apostasy took place. Christians were hunted down, persecuted, and killed, causing the church to drift from the original teachings of Christ and His Apostles. False teachings emerged, leading to the contamination of the pure doctrine. With the Apostles no longer around to defend the truth, the Church Of Christ evolved into a different organization ( the Catholic Church), adopting many pagan rituals and deviating from the pristine gospel established by Christ. This era is known as the “Great Apostasy.”

Reach Out

If you wish to acquire a deeper understanding of our Church Doctrines and have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We would be delighted to direct you to one of our local resident ministers in your vicinity. Kindly include any queries you may have so that we may forward your inquiry in advance. Thank you.

“Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak].”
(Eph. 4:29, Amplified Bible)

“Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured.”
(1 Corinthians 13:4-5, Amplified Bible)