Prepare for the Messenger

Prepare for the Messenger
 
Malachi 4:5-6 “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the LORD arrives. 6 His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”
 
MALACHI’S final words are God’s final First Covenant promise to Israel. There will be no prophetic voice for 400 years until the one like Elijah begins to preach along the Jordan. Are these hopeful words or ominous warnings – or both? What is the meaning of “I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the LORD arrives.” How could that be God’s future plan if Elijah lived some 400 years before Malachi? What is the great and dreadful day?
   Faithful Jews believed Elijah could return because of the prophet’s live entrance into heaven: 2 Kings 2:11 As they (Elijah & Elisha) were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven. Further, God had anointed Elijah’s ministry with powerful, Messianic demonstrations of provision, healing, suffering, resurrection, judgment and salvation. Elijah was, indeed, a specially chosen prophet to display God’s glory on earth. You could compare the Jews’ expectation of Elijah’s return with our expectation of Jesus’ return.
   The great and dreadful day of the LORD is a promise and a warning. God’s great day will be his grace to call first the Jews and then the world to salvation. The dreadful day is his final judgment of those who reject Jesus.
   Malachi’s “Elijah prophecy” was fulfilled in the messenger John the Baptist. We see a specific repetition of Malachi’s prophecy as the angel prophesied to John’s father, the priest Zechariah, in Luke 1:17 “He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.” God’s final words to Malachi were the first words to Israel through Zechariah to announce the coming kingdom.
   Jesus later confirmed John was the “Elijah” to come: Matthew 11:13 “For before John came, all the prophets and the law of Moses looked forward to this present time. 14 And if you are willing to accept what I say, he is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come.” John’s life purpose was to prepare the Jews for Jesus’ redemptive ministry.
   Today your role as a Christian is as John’s. You are a blessed child of God, chosen to spiritually point to Jesus and say, “See the Savior is Jesus.” Be a Spirit-anointed messenger to prepare people for Jesus’ great and dreadful day of the Lord. Declare the Savior’s way of forgiveness. Help people to be ready for the King to fully establish his kingdom on earth.
 
Elijah Prayed: 1 Kings 18:37 “O LORD, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.”