Elijah Question

Recently, as he was reading and meditating on Malachi and related New Testament passages, my brother in the Lord, Dave, considered the question pondered by many: “Was John the Baptist Elijah?” 

In one of our regular Bible study & fellowship sessions, Dave and I discussed one of the many important concepts in these passages regarding the great prophet, Elijah, and God’s faithfulness to forewarn about His coming judgments.  With kind permission granted by Dave, our corporate thoughts are the core of this post on Been Pondering… Elijah Question.  Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).

Scripture Searching

Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years. Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me,” says the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 3:1-5 emphasis added) 

Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse. (Malachi 4:5-6 emphasis added)

… Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John…  (Matthew 11:7) 

This is the one about whom it is written, BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU. (Matthew 11:10) 

And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 11:14-15)

 

Question/Answers 

Although other sections of Scripture are relevant to the topic at hand, for the sake of brevity, the above references certainly raise the question: Was John the Baptist Elijah?

The answer is Yes, if you are willing to accept that John the Baptist came in the “spirit and power of Elijah.”   It is presented as a “type” or “symbol” in God’s Word to assist man’s limited understanding in the spiritual realm.

In addition, the answer is No, John the Baptist was NOT Elijah, himself.  A direct answer to the question may be found in John 1:19-21, with emphasis added:

This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he *said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”

 

The Logic 

To answer questions on any topic within Scripture, the seeker who desires true spiritual insight must know that it is an absolute necessity to take all of God’s Word—which cannot contradict itself—into account.  Scripture is always the best commentary on itself.

Precise comprehension of the statements of Jesus and John the Baptist that John came “in the spirit and power of Elijah” may be found in Luke 1:13-17 with emphasis added:

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Although the NASB inserts the term “forerunner” into the New Testament, its use is justified by other Scriptures that acknowledge a “voice” would go out ahead—a forerunner—of the Lord in the sense presented by the passage from Malachi 3 at the beginning of this blog and by Isaiah 40:3-5, with emphasis added:

A voice is calling, Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Therefore, Scripture clearly reveals that John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah.  He was a “forerunner” of the first coming of Jesus the Messiah. As noted in Luke 1:13-17, John the Baptist’s life was “like” that of Elijah.

On the other hand, Elijah is to precede Jesus Christ’s second coming to earth (see Malachi 4:5-6).

Through comparison of Matthew 14:6-11, 2 Kings 2:11 and Matthew 17:10-13, a major difference is revealed between the earthly life of John the Baptist and that of Elijah.  John the Baptist died, but Elijah went up by whirlwind into heaven.  Jesus affirms and clarifies in Matthew 17:10-13 that John the Baptist came as a type or symbol of Elijah, but was not recognized and was killed.  Elijah, however, is still to come proclaiming Jesus’ second coming when all things will be restored for the ruling and reigning Messiah.

And His disciples asked Him, Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” And He answered and said, Elijah is coming and will restore all things; but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands. Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist. (emphasis added)

As additional confirmation that the analogy correlates with God’s Word, consider that just before Jesus returns again to earth, two witnesses will appear and be martyred (see Revelation 11:3-12).  As noted above in Malachi 4:5-6, Elijah will return before the coming of the ruling and reigning Messiah.  Since humans die only once (…it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment. Hebrews 9:27), the case for Elijah’s being one of these witnesses could be in agreement with Scripture.  Since Elijah has not yet died (see 2 Kings 2:11), if he returns to earth it is not reincarnation.

Only one other person, Enoch, did not experience death on earth (see Genesis 5:21-24; Hebrews 11:5).  Since neither Elijah nor Enoch have died, they may yet undergo death.  If these “two witnesses” are literal persons—and Scripture should be interpreted literally if possible—a logical conclusion could be to accept Elijah and Enoch as the two witnesses to precede, i.e., be forerunners of, the second coming of Jesus.

 

Conclusion

If you yearn for a foretaste regarding the proclamation of Elijah, et al., before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD, may the lyrics and anointed presentation of the song audio embedded below provide a glimpse into the spiritual realm.

These are the days of Elijah

Declaring the word of the Lord

And these are the days of Your servant Moses

Righteousness being restored

 

And though these are days of great trial

Of famine and darkness and sword

Still we are the voice in the desert crying

Prepare ye the way of the Lord!

 

Behold He comes, riding on the clouds

Shining like the sun at the trumpet call

Lift your voice, the year of Jubilee

And out of Zion’s hill, salvation comes

 

And these are the days of Ezekiel

The dry bones becoming flesh

And these are the days of Your servant, David

Rebuilding a temple of praise

 

And these are the days of the harvest

The fields are as white in Your world

And we are the laborers in Your vineyard

Declaring the Word of the Lord

 

Behold He comes, riding on the clouds

Shining like the sun at the trumpet call

Lift your voice, the year of Jubilee

And out of Zion’s hill, salvation comes

 

There’s no God like Jehovah! (X15)

 

Behold He comes, riding on the clouds

Shining like the sun at the trumpet call

Lift your voice, to the year of Jubilee

And out of Zion’s hill, salvation comes (X4)

 

Lift your voice, to the year of Jubilee

And out of Zion’s hill, salvation comes

 

A prayer glorifying and blessing the Name of the Lord and asking for revival and restoration

 

Behold He comes, riding on the clouds

Shining like the sun at the trumpet call

Lift your voice, the year of Jubilee

And out of Zion’s hill, salvation comes