“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” (Mal. 4:5-6).
With this pronouncement concerning the future work of the prophet Elijah, the Old Testament comes to a close. There would be no further revelation until the coming of Messiah. The prophecy would be fulfilled in part through the work of a special man, John the baptizer. He was revealed to Israel to prepare the way for that greater prophet, the Son of God.
John the Baptist
In preparation for the work of His Son, the Lord arranged for the coming of his forerunner. Appearing to the priest Zechariah, the angel revealed that he and his wife Elisabeth would have a son, though they were advanced in years and had reconciled themselves to being childless. Their offspring would be an uncommon man, performing a special purpose.
The ministry of John was to be similar to the future work of the prophet Elijah. So true was this that Jesus said of him “Elijah has already come, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they pleased” (Matt. 17:10-13 RSV).
John had testified that he was not Elijah (John 1:21), though he was performing a work like that of the prophet. He was preparing the way for the first coming of the Savior to the nation of Israel; Elijah himself will perform that work before the second appearing of Christ to Israel.
Elijah on the mount
Taking Peter, John and James, Jesus went up on “the mountain” (possibly Mount Hermon) to pray (Luke 9:30-31). And there the “transfiguration” occurred: Jesus assumed the likeness of his future glory. With him appeared two Old Testament notables, Moses and Elijah. “Jesus was real: the glory was real: the voice was real: the overshadowing cloud was real: and Moses and Elijah may have been real” (Bro. Roberts, Visible Hand of God, p.291).
The purpose of the transfiguration was to prepare Christ for his ordeal and to strengthen the faith of the three apostles. While this incident is described as a “vision,” the discussion between Jesus, Moses and Elijah must have been real and substantive. We do not suggest that Elijah had never died but that he and Moses were brought up from the dead for this occasion.
Elijah’s unfinished mission
The prophet Elijah in his lifetime appeared only to the northern kingdom of Israel. As we can tell from the words in Malachi, his mission was not completed at that time. It is an interesting point that when he comes to finish his work, it will again involve what the prophecies term “Israel” to a greater extent than Judah.
Israel, Ephraim and Jacob are used of the Jews in dispersion, while Judah often speaks of the Jews already settled in the Land. “The remnant of Jacob” appears in Micah 5:7-8. On the other hand, we read that Christ will save the tents of Judah first (Zech. 12:7-14).
As Moses led the children of Israel in their exodus from Egypt, so Elijah will lead a second exodus. Remarkably, the law giver and the prophet spoke with Jesus on the mount concerning his own “exodus.” (The word “decease” in Luke 9:31 is from the Greek exodos.)
The promise in Malachi’s prophecy states that Elijah would be sent to Israel “before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.” Elijah will be sent to the Jews in dispersion after the judgment of the saints and before Christ destroys the Gogian host on the mountains of Israel. Elijah and his companions will go out among the nations to warn the Jews of the impending judgments upon the world.
Events of the time, together with power shown by the prophet, will convince the dispersed people to return to the land. “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power” (Psa. 110:3).
Another holocaust?
As much as the Jews have had to suffer, they have still not been brought to repentance. They have not turned to their God as they must before He accepts them. They have one more fiery trial to endure.
“Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it” (Jer. 30:7).
This “time of Jacob’s trouble” is concurrent with “the time of trouble such as never was” (Dan. 12:2). As the armies converge upon the Middle East for Armageddon, the final exodus of the Jews will begin. The prophet Elijah will appeal to Israel in all the places where they have been scattered.
Prophetic witness
There are several prophetic references that provide details of Israel’s regathering. They can be viewed in concert with Malachi’s prophecy, and with the words of the Lord Jesus. “Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things” (Matt. 17:11).
These prophecies outline the final return of the children of Jacob from their dispersion. Especially helpful are Jeremiah, chapters 3 and 4 and parts of Ezekiel 20, Zechariah 9 and Isaiah 11.
Shepherds for Israel
“Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel (distinct from Judah, see v. 11), saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever” (Jer. 3:12).
The prophet in speaks of pastors or shepherds “who will feed [dispersed Israel] with knowledge and understanding” (v. 15). These shepherds, we believe, are saints who will assist Elijah in his work of regathering.
Wilderness of the people
Ezekiel in chapter 20 recalls the first exodus and the command to Israel to purify itself. He also recalls their rebellion. At verse 33 he begins to prophesy of the latter-day exodus. As in the past the future deliverance will not be without its trials. Like the first exodus, the second will provide a purging process among the children of Israel. “And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord GOD” (vs. 35-36).
The “wilderness of the people” refers to hostile nations through which the Jews must pass before they are brought to the land of promise. Remember, this is to take place when the nations are greatly agitated; some of them will be at war with Israel.
The Jews will have to take up arms in order to resist the forces against them. Remembering the holocaust, they will not submit again to those who would destroy them. They will be aided by the power of God under Elijah.
“Thou art my battle ax and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms” (Jer. 51:20-24).
The second exodus
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left…And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth” (Isa. 11:11-12).
The Lord will show forth His power as He did in the first exodus, as both Judah and Israel are delivered. Both in the south (“the tongue of the Egyptian sea”) and in the north (“the river” – Euphrates) Israel will pass into their land under the hand of God.
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem” (Isa. 27:13).
Israel purged
Before they can be finally restored to their land, the children of Israel must acknowledge their transgressions. They must “rend their hearts and not their garments.”
“And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD” (Ezek. 20:33-38).
So it will be that a remnant will survive. This time it will be those who are responsive to the word of the Lord, those willing to suffer for His Name. The others, unresponsive and unfaithful like some of their forefathers under Moses, will desire to return to the lands of their dispersion.
Synopsis
- Jesus has verified that Elijah will come and restore (reconstitute) all things pertaining to Israel.
- After the judgment of the saints and the marriage of the Lamb, Elijah and immortal companions will go to the nations to gather the dispersed of Israel.
- At the same time Christ and the saints will march to Jerusalem.
- The northern hosts invade the land which will precipitate the battle of Armageddon.
- Scattered Israel will return through the wilderness of the people. The rebels will be purged out and the remnant restored.
- Israel and Judah will be unified after their acceptance of Messiah. They will be settled in the land under their tribal designations.
- The millennial reign of Christ and the saints will commence.
The new covenant
“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah” (Jer. 31:31).
The “prisoners of hope” will return at last to their ancestral home, now a unified nation at rest and at peace with Yahweh their God.
“And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land” (Zech. 9:12-17).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One