Prophecies of Jesus-17

1. Messiah would be preceded by Elijah.

   
   

   Old Testament Scripture. Mal. 4:5-6

   
   

   New Testament Fulfillment. Mat. 11:13

Mal. 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

Behold,...

הנּה

hinnêh

Definition:

1) behold, lo, see, if

Part of Speech: demonstrative particle

I (Father)...

אנכי

'ânôkı̂y

Definition:

1) I (first person singular)

Part of Speech: personal pronoun

This is part of the last prophecy in the O.T. It concerns the return of Elijah the prophet (not John the Baptist or some other man) to the earth, from heaven, shortly before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord (Mal. 4:5-6). At that time here will be one of the greatest spiritual awakenings in the history of mankind. The hearts of fathers and sons, all children and parents, will be turned toward one another; families will be united in Christ; the Holy Spirit will be out poured upon all flesh and even all of Israel will be saved as a result of the ministry of Elijah and Enoch as in Mal. 4:5-6; and Rev. 11:3-10; Acts 2:16-21; Rom. 11:25-29; Isa. 66:7-8 and other scriptures will be literally fulfilled. All this will come to pass instead of a curse upon the earth!

will send...

שׁלח

shâlach

Definition:

1) to send, send away, let go, stretch out

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to send

1a2) to stretch out, extend, direct

1a3) to send away

1a4) to let loose

1b) (Niphal) to be sent

1c) (Piel)

1c1) to send off or away or out or forth, dismiss, give over, cast out

1c2) to let go, set free

1c3) to shoot forth (of branches)

1c4) to let down

1c5) to shoot

1d) (Pual) to be sent off, be put away, be divorced, be impelled

1e) (Hiphil) to send

Part of Speech: verb

you (Malachi/Israel)...

את

'êth

Definition:

1) sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative

Part of Speech: untranslated particle

Elijah...

אליּהוּ / אליּה

'êlı̂yâh / 'êlı̂yâhû

Definition:

Elijah or Eliah = “my God is Jehovah” or “Yah(u) is God”

1) the great prophet of the reign of Ahab

2) Benjamite son of Jeroham

3) a son of Elam with foreign wife during exile

4) a son of Harim, and priest, with foreign wife during exile

Part of Speech: noun proper masculine

the prophet...

נביא

nâbı̂y'

Definition:

1) spokesman, speaker, prophet

1a) prophet

1b) false prophet

1c) heathen prophet

Part of Speech: noun masculine

before...

פּנה / פּנים

pânı̂ym / pâneh

Definition:

1) face

1a) face, faces

1b) presence, person

1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim)

1d) face (of animals)

1e) face, surface (of ground)

1f) as adverb of loc/temp

1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before

1g) with preposition

1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of

Part of Speech: noun masculine

the coming...

בּוא

bô'

Definition:

1) to go in, enter, come, go, come in

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to enter, come in

1a2) to come

1a2a) to come with

1a2b) to come upon, fall or light upon, attack (enemy)

1a2c) to come to pass

1a3) to attain to

1a4) to be enumerated

1a5) to go

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to lead in

1b2) to carry in

1b3) to bring in, cause to come in, gather, cause to come, bring near, bring against, bring upon

1b4) to bring to pass

1c) (Hophal)

1c1) to be brought, brought in

1c2) to be introduced, be put

Part of Speech: verb

of the great...

גּדל / גּדול

gâdôl

Definition:

1) great (adjective)

1a) large (in magnitude and extent)

1b) in number

1c) in intensity

1d) loud (in sound)

1e) older (in age)

1f) in importance

1f1) important things

1f2) great, distinguished (of men)

1f3) God Himself (of God)

1g) great things (substantive)

1h) haughty things (substantive)

1i) greatness (substantive)

Part of Speech: see above in Definition

and dreadful...

ירא

yârê'

Definition:

1) to fear, revere, be afraid

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to fear, be afraid

1a2) to stand in awe of, be awed

1a3) to fear, reverence, honour, respect

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be fearful, be dreadful, be feared

1b2) to cause astonishment and awe, be held in awe

1b3) to inspire reverence or godly fear or awe

1c) (Piel) to make afraid, terrify

2) to shoot, pour

Part of Speech: verb

day...

יום

yôm

Definition:

1) day, time, year

1a) day (as opposed to night)

1b) day (24 hour period)

1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1

1b2) as a division of time

1b2a) a working day, a day’s journey

1c) days, lifetime (plural)

1d) time, period (general)

1e) year

1f) temporal references

1f1) today

1f2) yesterday

1f3) tomorrow

Part of Speech: noun masculine

of the Lord:...

יהוה

yehôvâh

Definition:

Jehovah = “the existing One”

1) the proper name of the one true God

1a) unpronounced except with the vowel pointings of the Lord

Part of Speech: noun proper deity

Mal. 4:6 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.

The future preparation

God promised through Malachi that the Prophet Elijah would come and minister before the day of the Lord. This is the only passage in the Prophets that speaks of a future ministry for Elijah. Many commentators have linked this prophecy to Mal. 3:1 which speaks of a messenger who prepares the way for the Lord’s coming. However, Matthew (Mat. 11:7-10) specifically states that John the Baptist was the messenger (Mal. 3:1) who prepared the way for the Lord. But should John the Baptist also be considered the fulfillment of the prophecy about Elijah? (Mal. 4:5-6) Before John the Baptist was born an angel of the Lord predicted that he would minister “in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous - to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17). This would seem to put together the two prophecies (Mal. 3:1 and Mal. 4:5-6) and to see John as fulfilling both of them.

However, while he freely admitted that he was the one who prepared the way for the Lord (Isa. 40:3; Mal. 3:1), John expressly denied that he was Elijah (John 1:21-23). Even when Jesus called John “the Elijah who was to come,” He conditioned that designation with the phrase, “if you are willing to accept it” (Mat. 11:14). A solution to the problem seems to be offered in Mat. 17:1-27. After Elijah appeared with Christ in His transfiguration, the disciples asked about Elijah’s future coming. Jesus, speaking apparently after John’s death (cf. Mat. 14:1-2), affirmed that “Elijah comes and will restore all things” (Mat. 17:11). This future expectation indicates that Mal. 4:5-6 was not fulfilled in the ministry of John. Israel did not accept John the Baptist as the Elijah-like restorer of all things, so another Elijah-like forerunner is yet to come before the day of the Lord.

However, Jesus went on to say, “Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him” (Mat. 17:12), and the disciples understood He was talking about John the Baptist (Mat. 17:13). The solution to all this seems to be that though John did not fulfill Mal. 4:5-6 (for Elijah is yet to come), Elijah was a type of John in that there is a great deal of similarity between Elijah in Mal. 4:5-6 and the messenger (John the Baptist) in Mal. 3:1.

It is difficult to determine whether the Elijah to come is Elijah himself (as possibly indicated in Mat. 17:11) or someone in the spirit and power of Elijah (as John was, so that Christ referred to him as simply Elijah, Mat. 17:12). The latter seems preferable. The most likely New Testament reference to this future Elijah-like ministry is Rev. 11:1-13, which speaks of the two witnesses in the Tribulation. Possibly the Apostle John was expanding the Elijah expectation into an Elijah-Elisha ministry (cf. see Rev. 11:3-6.) As a result of the ministry of the two witnesses many people will repent, thus uniting the hearts of… fathers with their children. This repentance will mean that they will not experience God’s judgment in the day of the Lord.

The last words of the Old Testament are Malachi’s ominous anticipation of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. This event of judgment, a climactic event in history, was a major theme of the prophets. The force of the warnings and appeals in Malachi’s book hinges as much on the certainty of this coming judgment as on the covenant-based offer of grace. The Book of Revelation renders the same expectation of judgment and repentance at the end of the New Testament (Rev. 22:12-17) but with greater details about the One who will return.

Mat. 11:13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

Jesus’ Discourse

John’s question prompted Jesus to give a discourse to the crowd. Perhaps some began to wonder about John’s commitment to the Messiah in light of his question. So Jesus explained that John was not weak and vacillating. He was not a papyrus reed that could be shaken by every breeze that blew. Nor was he a man dressed in fine clothes, the kind worn in kings’ palaces. In fact John the Baptist wore the opposite (Mat. 3:4). John was a true prophet who proclaimed the message that God demanded repentance. In fact he was even more than a prophet, for he, in fulfillment of Mal. 3:1, was Jesus’ own messenger or forerunner. Mark in his Gospel (Mark 1:2-3) combined this prophecy from Mal. 3:1 with Isaiah’s prophecy (Isa. 40:3) concerning the one who would prepare Jesus’ way. Jesus added that of all men who had lived on earth, none was greater than John the Baptist. And yet one who is least in the kingdom will be greater than John. The privileges of Jesus’ disciples sharing in the kingdom will be far greater than anything anyone could experience on earth.

But the kingdom had been subject to violence and evil men were trying to take it by force (Mat. 11:12). The religious leaders of Jesus’ day (forceful men) were resisting the movement introduced by John, Jesus, and the apostles. Forcefully advancing (biazetai) could be rendered in the passive, “is violently treated.” (The verb lay hold of [harpazousin] means “to grasp” in the sense of resisting or laying claim to it on their own). Those leaders wanted a kingdom, but not the kind Jesus was offering. So they were resisting the message and attempting to establish their own rule. But John’s message was true, and if the nation would accept it, and consequently accept Jesus, John would fulfill the prophecies of Elijah. Only if they accepted the message would John the Baptist be the Elijah who was to come (cf. Mal. 4:5). Because the nation rejected the Messiah, Elijah’s coming is still future (cf. Mal. 4:6 with Acts 3:21).

Until John’s ministry, not its end.