Did the Time of the End Begin in 1948? or 1957?

In one early LCG article I read was Roderick C. Meredith's When Will Jesus Christ Return? stated that the end times could only have begun in 1948 or 1957.

Here after quoting Scriptures discussing Daniel 8 and the Abomination of Desolation he argues that the 'time of the end' could have only begun in 1948 after the establishment of the State of Israel.

Clearly, then, there must be some sort of temple or altar in Jerusalem at the END of this age where the "daily sacrifice" (v. 11) is being offered. And that is when the final "abomination" is set up. This passage also indicates that the Jews at the time of the END would have a significant presence in Jerusalem. None of this makes sense without a revived state of Israel, a Jewish Jerusalem and a rebuilt temple. So the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, and the 1967 Jewish takeover of the old city and the Temple Mount are very significant events. These already fulfilled indications tell us that we are indeed in the prophesied "time of the END."

Later he presents the possibility of human annihilation to be a sign of the 'time of the end' and suggests 1957 as a possible date for the beginning of the 'time of the end'.

Cosmocide—the annihilation of all flesh—was not possible even during World War II. For although two atomic bombs were dropped to end the war with Japan, there were no more bombs available until months or years later. According to many authorities, it was not until about 1957 that—between the U.S. and the Soviet Union—enough atomic weapons existed to annihilate all humanity.

So with the return of many of the Jews to Israel in 1948, and the degree of atomic weapons proliferation in 1957, we certainly entered the "time of the end" by then—if not even before then.

The reason I find this so interesting is that this serves to effectively erase the facts that Herbert Armstrong had previously taught that 1936 and then the end of World War II would see the coming of Christ.

Those false prophecies prove that HWA was not a man used by God but was just a false prophet who taught his own counsel, not the counsel of God.

This article is yet another example of the COGs rewriting history in order to forget unpleasant facts and keep followers in bondage away from true Christianity.