“Elijah That Is To Come”

The Old Testament prophet Malachi spoke of the Lord’s promise to send Elijah before the day of the Lord.  Has this Old Testament prophecy been fulfilled?  If so when and by whom?

 

Let’s take a few moments to find out if we can expect the prophet Elijah to rise from the dead in the last days.

 

THE SCRIPTURES:

 

Malachi 4:5-6            Matthew 11:7-15                Luke 1:11-17           John 1:19-28 

 

 

THE STUDY:

 

The Old Testament prophecy that we will be looking at is found in Malachi 4:5-6…

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

 

There are several things we can learn about this coming Elijah from the text of this prophecy: 

 

First of all his coming is said to take place “before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:”.    What is meant by this phrase?  There are two possible interpretations of this phrase.  It can be referring to the second coming of Christ when He will judge the world before our entrance into eternity (2 Peter 3:10).  Or it can be speaking of the first coming of Christ which was soon followed by the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD (Matt 24:15-22, Luke 19:41-44, Luke 21:20-24).

 

Secondly, we are told that “he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers” At his coming, Elijah would proclaim the gospel message.  For family members who were at war with one another… when they accepted this message of grace, their lives would be changed and they will enter into a peaceful relationship with God and one another.  (Col 3:15)  However, for those who would not accept the gospel proclaimed by Elijah they would be facing the judgment of God for their sins… “lest I come and smite the earth with a curse”.

 

 

 

Malachi’s prophecy mentioned to John the Baptist in John 1:19-28…

And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?  And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.  And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.  Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?  He said, I [am] the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.  And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.  And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?  John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;  He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.  These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

 

Here, we find that the priests and Levites were sent to find out the identity of John the Baptist.  During the course of their questions the subject of Elijah came up…. “Who art thou?  And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.  And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias?”  After denying he was the Messiah, John then responded to their inquiry that he was John the Baptist.  His response… “And he saith, I am not.”.   Here we find that John the Baptist, clearly, without hesitation denied that he was Elijah.  

 

To answer their question about his identity, John referred them to another OT prophecy.  This prophecy was given by Isaiah who said “I [am] the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord”  (Isaiah 40:3)  

 

The entire prophecy from Isaiah  (Isa 40:3-5) states…

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.  Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:  And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see [it] together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it].

 

In other words, John the Baptist was to make clear and plain to all that Jesus was the Messiah, who was the very glory of God Himself shown to the eyes of all men.   

 

 

 

Christ’s Teachings about Elijah that was to come in Matthew 17:9-13 and Matt 11:7-15…  

And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.   And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?   And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.  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.  Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.  (see also Mark 9:12-13)

 

Here, in Matt 17:, we find Christ being questioned about Malachi’s prophecy concering he coming Elijah.  Jesus answered them by saying “Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.  But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed.”  Christ now tells them something that is totally unexpected.  Christ claims that the prophecy about the coming of Elijah is a valid prophecy, but it has already taken place!  He goes further and says that Elijah was not recognized and because of their lack of identifying Elijah they have done with him as they pleased. 

Christ goes further to explain how they abused this unknown Elijah… “Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them”.  In other words, the same type of abuse that Elijah had to withstand would be the same type that Christ Himself would have to endure (false accusations, imprisonment, painful suffering and death).

 

We are then told that the followers of Christ come to recognition that He is speaking about John the Baptist. “Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist”

 

It is at this point we can begin to see a seeming difficulty in these verses.  Please keep in mind in our previous text, John 1:, we saw that John the Baptist clearly denied that he was Elijah.  And yet, here we see the disciples are thinking that it was John the Baptist that Christ was equating with Elijah.  The simple solution to this issue is to recognize that the disciples were making a wrong assumption.  Could it be that Christ was not speaking of John the Baptist in this teaching? 

 

We will see that Christ clarifies of whom He is speaking in our next text from Matt 11…

 

And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?  But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft [clothing] are in kings' houses.  But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.  For this is [he], of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.   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.  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  And if ye will receive [it], this is Elias, which was for to come.  He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

 

Here, in the context, Christ is clearly speaking of John the Baptist, “Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John”.  In His discussion of John, Christ begins to describe John using an Old Testament prophecy that applied to John….

 

“For this is [he], of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.”  (Isa 40:3, Mal 3:1)  In other words, John was sent by God to prepare the way of Christ, declaring who He was and baptizing those who would eventually become followers of Christ.

 

He continues to describe John’s ministry, pointing to his importance, as well as describing the powerful effects upon mankind that John’s message would accomplish.  It would break the sin hardened heart of men (kingdom suffereth violence) causing them to run desperately seeking to receive the rule of God in their heart (the violent take it by force).   John’s message concerning the Messiah was supported by the prophecies of the Old Testament prophets.

 

But finally, Christ makes a statement that clarifies this entire issue concerning John the Baptist and the prophecy concerning Elijah…. “And if ye will receive [it], this is Elias, which was for to come.  He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”     So now there is no misunderstanding.  The disciples had gotten it correct.  Christ was speaking of John in Matthew 17, and clearly stated the same here in Matthew 11.

 

So we are now faced with another difficulty…. Did John the Baptist lie when he denied that he was the promised Elijah?  Our last verse in this study will help us to understand this difficult issue…

 

 

 

The Angels’s testimony concerning the coming John The Baptist in Luke 1:11-17… 

 

And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.  And when Zacharias saw [him], he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.  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.  And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.   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.  And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.  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.

 

As the angel spoke to Zacharias about the birth of his son John, we find him comparing John to the prophet Elijah in the Old Testament.  He makes the statement… “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.”

 

John the Baptist, during the course of his ministry would demonstrate the same Holy Spirit empowered ministry as that of Elijah.  Also, he would share the same motivations and attitudes of the heart as that of Elijah.  He would dress in a similar way and eat a similar diet to that of Isaiah as well.  He would share the same office and title of “prophet”;  and would share the position of forerunner with Elijah, John being the forerunner of Christ, while Elijah was the forerunner of Elisha.  In many ways, the ministries of these great men of faith were overlapping and similar. 

 

 

 

Conclusion Of Our Study…

 

As we can now see that both Christ and John the Baptist were being truthful about John’s relationship to Elijah.   When John said that he was not Elijah he was telling the truth, he was not Elijah come back from the dead.   Christ made it plain that the prophecy concerning the coming Elijah was fulfilled in the coming of John the Baptist;  in other words, John coming in “the spirit and power of Elijah” was a fulfillment of the Malachi prophecy.

 

But we can take this one step further, if you notice the phrasing of the teaching of Christ we see that John was not simply “a” fulfillment of the prophecy but was actually “the” fulfillment of the prophecy…

 

“And if ye will receive [it], this is Elias, which was for to come.  He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”  Christ did not say this is one fulfillment of the Elijah prophecy.   He said plainly that “this is Elijah which was for to come.”   In other words, John the Baptist was the complete and total fulfillment of the Malachi prophecy.

 

May the Lord bless you as you seek His truth.

 

 

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May the Lord bless your study of His Word.  Like God’s Word… may your soul’s salvation and your life’s faithfulness be “Settled in Heaven.” 

“SIH’s Think On These Things: Mark 9:41-50 (1)”

Mark 9:41-50 (KJV)

41) For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.

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.

43) And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

44) Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

45) And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

46) Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

47) And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:

48) Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

49) For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.

50) Salt [is] good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.

 

For this series we will use this very simple outline:

1.  vs 41-42 – Evidences of genuine salvation

2.  vs 43-48 – Importance of genuine salvation

3.  vs 49-50 – Absolute necessity of genuine salvation

 

By God’s grace as we begin our detailed study next week, let us all ask the Lord to bless our study and reveal to us the true condition of our heart.   For without His intervening grace, we can never clearly discern our heart’s condition before Him….

 

Jer 17:9-10  - The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it?  I the LORD search the heart, [I] try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, [and] according to the fruit of his doings.

 

Heb 3:12-14 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.  But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.  For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

 

But also, let’s not misunderstand the importance of this study.  We may think that this series will be of no benefit to those who have made “their calling and election sure.”  However, during the course of this series, we will be looking at many very important Biblical teachings that will strengthen believers of any spiritual age:

1.  the need to live out our faith for Christ;  

2.  the need to give special love, care and concern to the children around us (whether of young physical, or spiritual age); 

3.  the existence of a literal Lake of Fire; 

4.  the future aspect of Christ’s eternal Kingdom; 

5.  some basic principles that we must share with those who need Christ around us.

 

By God’s grace we will begin our detail study Monday morning.

 

May the Lord bless us as we “Think On These Things”.

 

SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org

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SIH’s Think On These Things: Proverbs 13:22-25

“SIH’s Think On These Things: 2 Pet 3:18”

2Pet 3:18 (KJV) 18) But grow in grace, and [in] the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him [be] glory both now and for ever. Amen.   “Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ”.  In this six word title we find several very important truths being presented to us…. 1.  “Our” – This helps us to understand that a personal relationship with the Sovereign Creator of the universe can be had by man.  He is not “The Lord and Saviour…”, but “OUR Lord and Saviour…” 2.  “Lord” – This teaches us that He is the Master and Controller over all things.  He is the One that is King over all and, in recognition of that fact, we are to willingly submit to His Kingship. 3.  “Saviour” – He is the One that graces His people with deliverance from the wrath of God.  We have all sinned, and because of that sin, we are all deserving of the wrath and punishment of Holy, Almighty God.  It is this Jesus that supplied salvation for His people by taking the wrath of God upon Himself. 4.  “Jesus” – He is not only our Saviour but He is the One True God, Jehovah.  It is this same One True God that brought the world into existence, gave mankind their physical life and gave to His people spiritual life.  This is why He is given the title “Jehovah Is Salvation”. 5.  “Christ” – He is the One that was anointed with the Holy Spirit enabling Him to fulfill the roles of our infallible prophet, intercessory priest, and absolute sovereign King.    How can we enter into a personal relationship with this wonderful Sent One?  The Word of God helps us to understand this in a very simple way…   Jesus, Himself tells us that to obtain a relationship with Him and to enter eternally into His presence we must be born again… John 3:7, Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Ye must be born again.” To be born again, we must recognize and acknowledge that we have sinned against God.  This means that we are separated from God which is proved by the acts of disobedience that we commit… Rom 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”   Based upon these sins, we are spiritually separated from God and deserving of His punishment… Rom 6:23, “For the wages [payment] of sin is death” and  “ . . . it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). But God gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to bear your sin, shed His blood and die in your place. “ . . . He hath made Him [Jesus, Who knew no sin] to be sin for us . . . that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). “ . . . God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). By agreeing with God about our sin and turning from them we will find ourselves coming to Him with a sorrowful spirit and in submission to His desires for us.  This is called “repentance”… Acts 17:30, “God . . . commandeth all men everywhere to repent”   In Acts 16:30-31, the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas: “ . . . Sirs, what must I do to be saved?  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved . . . .”  We are to simply forsake our sins, turn to Him as our Lord and believe on Him as  the one who bore our sins, and died in our place, that He was buried and resurrected by God.  “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12). This is God’s Word to each one of us, clearly declaring to us the path He has prepared to allow us to enter into an eternal relationship with Him. May the Lord bless us as we “Think On These Things”.   SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org SIH Text Blog: http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/all-about-salvation/ SIH Video Blog: http://youtube.com/settledinheaven/ SIH Email: settledinheaven@gmail.com

“SIH’s Think On These Things: Rev 2:10”

Rev 2:10 (KJV)

10) Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast [some] of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

 

“Be ye faithful unto death”…

One of the most taught, and important, responsibilities given to a Christian in the pages of God’s Word is the need to be faithful.  For this morning, I would like us to ask the question… what does the Bible mean by being “faithful”?

 

The word “faithful” is translated from a Greek word that means “to be trusted”, “to have confidence” and “to believe in”.  The root word from which faithful is derived is a word that means “to be convinced”, “to be brought to one’s side”, “to yield to”.   By understanding these words we can more easily understand exactly what the Bible means by the term “faithful”.   Biblically, to be “faithful” means “to possess a confidence that causes us to be trustworthy”.  In other words, it is to be so totally convinced of a truth that we then consistently apply that truth to our life for the remainder of our days. 

 

So to be “faithful” to our Lord means that we are so totally persuaded in the Bible’s teachings of Christ’s identity, work and teachings that our life becomes consistently, permanently aligned with His cause.  It is being “full of faith” in Christ which then allows Him to trust us to be in consistent submission to His desires for us.  It is saying that “I KNOW ABSOLUTELY that what the Bible says about Christ is true, therefore I will consciously, constantly align myself with His will and ways in every area of my being.”

 

To close, I would like to re-emphasize the most misunderstood aspects of being faithful… Being faithful is like a coin that has two sides to it. You cannot have one without the other:

 

1. First of all, being “faithful” ALWAYS describes outward submission motivated by an inward confidence.  To hypocritically submit to the outward commands of Christ is not being “faithful”.   Our submission to Him must be motivated by being “full of faith”.  We should never think being “faithful” simply involves outward acts. 

 

2, Secondly, being “faithful” does absolutely rely upon our outward acts of submission to His will.  We can say we are “faithful” (full of faith) all that we want, but if our lives are not in submission to His will, we cannot claim faithfulness.  As a matter of fact, if we think we are full of faith, and our lives do not align themselves to His will, we must question the validity of our faith.

 

Do our lives exhibit submission to His will and ways, motivated by absolute assurance in Him?  Or are we like an actor on a stage, outwardly conforming to the dictates of religion without being convinced of the Bible record concerning Christ?

 

Do we KNOW that Christ is our Lord and Saviour and we naturally find ourselves treating Him as such?  Or are we like those who may have a mental assent to truths about Christ without that knowledge ever working change in their lives?

 

May the Lord bless us as we “Think On These Things”.

 

SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org

SIH Text Blog: http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/all-about-salvation/

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“SIH’s Think On These Things: Gen 5:19-24 (6)”

Gen 5:19-24 (KJV)

19) And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:

20) And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.

21) And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:

22) And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:

23) And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:

24) And Enoch walked with God: and he [was] not; for God took him.

 

Heb 11:5 (KJV)

5) By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

 

Jude 1:14 (KJV)

14) And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

 

Within the pages of the Bible, we read very little about this man named “Enoch” and, yet, what we are told about him should cause any Christian to appreciate the wonderful testimony that he left behind.  Besides his age, lineage and descendants, we are told basically four different things about Enoch:

1. “Enoch walked with God”

2. “God took him (Enoch)”;  in other words, “Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found for God took him”

3. “he had this testimony, that he pleased God”

4.”Enoch… prophesied of these saying, Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints”

 

What a wonderful testimony Enoch left behind for all of us to desire….

1.  Enoch walked with God – He lived a life in agreement with God’s will and desires while keeping himself from consistent, in dwelling sin.

2.  God took Enoch – It was through Enoch’s faith that he was brought into a personal relationship with God and then delivered from sin and the effects of sin as he entered into eternity

3.  Enoch pleased God – He possessed the indwelling Spirit; he choose to put Christ first in his life and showed this by sharing the gospel message; he lived his life by faith believing in the promises made by his God, his life was characterized by answered prayer, keeping the commands of God, and submission to His revealed will for Enoch’s life.

4.  Enoch prophesied of God’s victory over Satan, sin and death manifested in the end times – he spoke of Jehovah and His judgment of sin;  Enoch spoke of Jehovah’s final victory over Satan, sin and death;  Enoch spoke of the future blessings of Jehovah’s people; Enoch was a living illustration of faith in Jehovah; and finally Enoch’s life exhibited love for His Lord and others.

 

Are our lives producing the same type of testimony as that of Enoch? 

 

Phil 1:27 (KJV)  Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

 

May the Lord bless us as we “Think On These Things”.

 

SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org

SIH Text Blog: http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/all-about-salvation/

SIH Video Blog: http://youtube.com/settledinheaven/

SIH Email: settledinheaven@gmail.com