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Elijah Must Come First
Elijah Must Come First
In Mark 6:15 we read: "But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.”
Elijah – lived in the 800's B.C. and was taken to heaven without dying. With the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi predicts that Elijah would again come. With the birth of John the Baptist, it is said: and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared” (Luke 1:17). As John is preaching he is asked: "What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not” (John 1:21).
The confusion of the people in their trying to identify Elijah continued. When Jesus asked who people said he was, the disciples responded: "John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets." (Mark 8:28). Following this, Moses and Elijah appeared unto Jesus on the mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:4-5). As they came down from the mountain Jesus spoke of his rising from the dead. To this they responded: “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him” (Mark 9:11-13).
On another occasion Jesus was even more direct as He told them: "…all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come" (Matt. 11:13-14).
It is amazing to me, that even with that statement from Jesus, we have had modern-day preachers claim that THEY are 'the Elijah' to come and they were preparing the way for the coming of the Lord! The Lord is coming again but there will be no warning and no forerunner. The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. Are we prepared?
Hugh DeLong
