Malachi Jews Will Again Lose Their Land
Question
Why must Elijah render earlier the end times (Malachi 4:5-six)?
Respond
Malachi 4:5-six offers an intriguing prophecy: "Come across, I will transport you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful solar day of the Lord comes. He will plough the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse." To this day, Jewish Seders include an empty chair at the table in anticipation that Elijah will return to herald the Messiah in fulfillment of Malachi's word.
Co-ordinate to Malachi iv:half-dozen, the reason for Elijah's render will be to "plow the hearts" of fathers and their children to each other. In other words, the goal would be reconciliation. In the New Testament, Jesus reveals that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of Malachi's prophecy: "All the prophets and the police prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come" (Matthew 11:13-14). This fulfillment is likewise mentioned in Mark ane:2-4 and Luke 1:17; vii:27.
Specifically related to Malachi 4:5-6 is Matthew 17:ten-13: "His disciples asked Him, maxim, 'Why then practise the scribes say that Elijah must come first?' Jesus answered and said to them, 'Indeed, Elijah is coming kickoff and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him merely did to him whatever they wished. . . .' And so the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist."
The scribes were the Jewish religious teachers, mostly Pharisees and Sadducees, who provided commentary on the Jewish Scriptures. Peter, James, and John were familiar with their teachings and asked Jesus nearly Elijah after seeing Jesus with Moses and Elijah at the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-eight). Jesus clearly stated that Elijah had already come, but, tragically, he was not recognized and had been killed. Jesus then predicted He would likewise die at the hands of His enemies (17:13).
A brief await at the ministry of John the Baptist reveals many notable ways that he was "Elijah." Start, God predicted John's work as beingness like that of Elijah (Luke ane:17). 2nd, he dressed similar Elijah (two Kings 1:8 and Matthew 3:four). Third, like Elijah, John the Baptist preached in the wilderness (Matthew iii:i). 4th, both men preached a message of repentance. Fifth, both men withstood kings and had high-profile enemies (1 Kings xviii:17 and Matthew xiv:3).
Some contend that John the Baptist was not the Elijah to come because John himself said that he was not Elijah. "And they asked him, 'What and then? Are you Elijah?' He said, 'I am not'" (John 1:21). There are 2 explanations for this apparent contradiction. Get-go, considering Elijah had never died (2 Kings two:11), many first-century rabbis taught that Elijah was nevertheless alive and would reappear before the Messiah's arrival. When John denied being Elijah, he could have been countering the idea that he was the bodily Elijah who had been taken to sky.
Second, John's words could indicate a difference between John's view of himself and Jesus' view of him. John may not have seen himself as the fulfillment of Malachi 4:v-6. Even so, Jesus did. In that location is no contradiction, then, simply a apprehensive prophet giving an honest opinion of himself. John rejected the honour (cf. John 3:30), yet Jesus credited John equally the fulfillment of Malachi'due south prophecy regarding the render of Elijah.
Equally the metaphorical Elijah, John called people to repentance and a life of obedience, preparing the people of his generation for the coming of Jesus Christ, the One who had come "to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19:10) and to found the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18).
Questions about Malachi
Why must Elijah return before the cease times (Malachi 4:5-6)?
Subscribe to the
Question of the Week
Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox!
© Copyright 2002-2022 Got Questions Ministries. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy
This page last updated: January 17, 2022
vondoussasirche1938.blogspot.com
Source: https://www.gotquestions.org/Elijah-end-times.html