The Ezekiel Watchman: Part 1

In Armstrongism it is taught that the British and American peoples are descendants of the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel, specifically of Manasseh and Ephraim, the two sons of Joseph. Herbert W. Armstrong plagiarized this idea from the British-Israelism movement, which originated from Victorian England and is contrary to modern genetic findings. (If there was such genetic evidence they would never let us forget it.)

In conjunction with British-Israelism HWA and his followers teach that modern day Israel is hopelessly corrupted by its sins and part of the church's mission is to warn Israel of the coming catastrophe of the Great Tribulation, in which a German dominated revival of the Holy Roman Empire composed of ten nations or groups of nations will destroy American, Britain and related peoples and take them away as slaves.

The Armstrongite organization's role of warning Israel is often compared to the ministry of the prophet Ezekiel. In fact HWA and his followers teach Ezekiel's mission was not fulfilled in his lifetime and will only be accomplished by HWA and his followers. Hence the church today fulfil the role of the Ezekiel commission.

This teaching that the church is the Ezekiel Watchman may be seen in LCG's booklet on British-Israelism by the late John Ogwyn, The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy.

The God of Israel proceeded to give him a commission. He was being set as a watchman for the House of Israel...Notice that Ezekiel’s commission set him as a watchman not to his own people (the House of Judah), but to the northern ten tribes of the House of Israel!...

God commissioned Ezekiel to be a watchman. What exactly is a watchman? In ancient times it was customary to place someone in a high tower atop the city wall to serve as lookout when danger threatened. It was the watchman’s job to be alert and vigilant, ever scanning the horizon for signs of an approaching enemy. When he saw evidence of an enemy’s approach, the watchman was to sound a trumpet of alarm. (Under the headings 'Ezekiel's Dramatic Vision' and 'Ezekiel's Commission', pp. 5-6.)

The booklet concludes near the end that:

God’s Church is taking Ezekiel’s message of warning and of hope to the modern-day House of Israel. (In the section 'What's Ahead for our Nations' under the heading 'The Watchman's Message', p. 41.)

So the church fulfills the function of Ezekiel, according to HWA and Co.

Ezekiel's message was not meant his people in his time, the followers of HWA say, but was like a time capsule whose true purpose would not fulfilled until the end times just prior to Armageddon and the return of Christ.

It is well known that HWA was a shameless plagiarizer who stole many of his ideas and then presented them as though he was the only one to possess such knowledge when that simply was not true.

Where did he get this idea of a commission held by Ezekiel, which would not be fulfilled until the end times, when it would be fulfilled by the church? Has anyone else taught this idea?

More on this later.