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Emphasis Mine In Bible Verses
Malachi 3:1 is an extremely interesting if slightly complex prophecy. The verse reads
Behold, I am sending My messenger, and he will clear a way before Me. And the Lord, whom you are seeking, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of armies. (Malachi 3:1 NASB)
Based on Malachi's words the Jews expected the Old Testament Prophet Elijah to literally and physically return to announce the appearance of the Messiah who would free them from Roman domination and exalt Israel over all the nations of the earth. Jews around the world still set out a cup of wine for Elijah at Passover while the smallest boy in the family is delegated to open a door to invite Elijah to join the Passover Seder.
One of the reasons the Jews largely rejected Jesus' claim to be the Messiah was because they had believed that Elijah had to precede the genuine Messiah. Thus Jesus had to be an impostor.
The whole Elijah subject even confused the disciples who took their question to Jesus. In His reply, our Lord first affirmed the prophecy was true and that Elijah did have to precede the Savior. However, His next words... that Elijah had already come unrecognized must have surprised the disciples, especially since they were probably expecting Elijah to return in as impressive a fashion as he left
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. (Matthew 17:10-13 NASB)
(Note According to the Old Testament book of II Kings, the Prophet Elijah was whisked off to 'heaven' in a chariot of fire pulled by horses of fire carried along by a whirlwind, a spectacular event that was witnessed by his protégé Elisha.
Quite obviously, since Jesus Himself said " No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man". (John 3:13 NASB) it is impossible that Elijah was actually taken into God's dwelling place which the Bible often refers to as "the highest heaven". So what does the Bible mean when it says "Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven". (2 Kings 2:11) DETAILS )
However, Malachi 3:1 is not as straightforward as may seem from a casual reading. This because many of the Old Testament prophets spoke about two separate events that could be decades or even centuries apart in the same breath and Malachi was no different.
Note this is similar to the situation when one of Joel's prophecies was quoted by Peter on Pentecost which has led many to erroneously assume that Joel's entire prophecy was fulfilled that day.
However, a simple reading of the original prophecy makes it clear that not everything Joel foretold came to pass on Pentecost. No prophecies were made, no one dreamed dreams or saw visions. The awesome displays of celestial phenomena were conspicuous by their absence - there was no blood, fire, or pillars of smoke - the sun did not turn to darkness nor the moon to blood. The day of Pentecost was quite simply not the day of the Lord that Joel predicted. (DETAILS)
A Two Part Prophecy
1.) Behold, I am sending My messenger, and he will clear a way before Me.
2.) And the Lord, whom you are seeking, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of armies. (Malachi 3:1 NASB)
Part I
Behold, I am sending My messenger and he will clear a way before Me.
The messenger prophesied in part 1 was John the Baptist - a fact that Jesus verified. Beginning in Matthew 11:7 Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John the Baptist, reminding them in verse 10 that John was the one about whom it was written:
"But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. "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 11:9-10 NASB)
This was repeated in Luke 7:27 in identical language
"This is the one about whom it is written, 'behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.(Luke 7:27 NASB)
In other words, John was the herald chosen by God to prepare the Messiah’s way. As Mark 1: 4-5 reads, he preached a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. All those from the land of Judea and Jerusalem who went out to him confessed their sin and were baptized by him in the Jordan.
There were certainly some very distinct similarities between Elijah and John the Baptist. Both appeared on the scene very abruptly, dressed alike (garments of camel hair and a leather belt - 2 Kings 1:8 and Mark 1:6 NASB), and both sought to turn people back to God.
This was not lost on the priests and Levites from Jerusalem who were sent to ask John whether he was the promised figure of Elijah the Prophet. (John 1:20-21). They, apparently expecting a real life Elijah, did not seem to understand that Malachi did not necessarily mean the literal historical Elijah would physically return but someone would come in the spirit and power of the ancient prophet.
In other words, the same spirit and power that God had given Elijah, would be given to a completely different prophet.
Malachi's words began to come to life on the day an angel told Zacharias (a righteous, elderly, and childless first century priest) that his wife Elizabeth would bear a son who would be filled with the Holy Spirit and have a great role to play. They were to name him John.
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." (Luke 1:16-17 NASB)
Part II
And the Lord, whom you are seeking, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of armies.
This, the second part of Malachi’s prophecy refers not to Christ’s first advent but to His second - the second messenger being the Messiah Himself. We can know this because Malachi clearly stated that the messenger is “the messenger of the covenant” who will come to HIS temple.
Jesus was the one who fulfilled the old covenant and instituted the new covenant
Malachi made this clear in a very short fourth chapter 4 in which he foretold that Elijah would once again be sent before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He also clearly stated that the arrogant and evildoer would become like chaff that would be set ablaze, and all the Messiah's enemies would be ashes under the soles of His feet.
For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says the Lord of hosts, "so that it will leave them neither root nor branch." "But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.
You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing," says the Lord of hosts. "Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. (Malachi 4:1-5 NASB)
John the Baptist also made a two part prophecy almost exactly echoing Malachi when he said. The first part spoke of Christ who was already present. The second part was a prophecy about Christ’s second advent.
As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (Matthew 3:11-12 NASB)
Since Christ did not burn anyone up during the time He spent on earth what both Malachi and John the Baptist said leave little room for doubt that they were both looking forward into the distant future when Christ would return to destroy His enemies and set up His kingdom. See What and Where is Heaven?
Note: According to the Old Testament book of II Kings, the Prophet Elijah was whisked off to 'heaven' in a chariot of fire pulled by horses of fire carried along by a whirlwind, a spectacular event that was witnessed by his protégé Elisha.
Quite obviously, since Jesus Himself said " No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man". (John 3:13 NASB) it is impossible that Elijah was actually taken into God's dwelling place which the Bible often refers to as "the highest heaven". So what does the Bible mean when it says "Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven". (2 Kings 2:11) (DETAILS)
Two Witnesses
It is entirely possible that as many commentators believe, one of the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11:3 might be 'Elijah'.
Both prophets encountered the Lord in Mt Sinai (Horeb in Kings)
They both met God at Mount Sinai (Moses - Exodus 3:1; Elijah - 1 Kings 19:8-18).
They appeared with Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-5)
All of which makes it very possible that they are the two Witnesses spoken of in the book of Revelation.
Again, this does not necessarily mean the literal historical Elijah but could be someone who comes in the spirit and power of Elijah and performs a similar function. We simply do not know. See The Two Witnesses
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