Elijah?

[Guest]

Mathew chapter 17 verses 10 to 13. 

Why did Jesus refer to John the Baptist as Elijah? I am confused. 

Any clarification welcomed please. I used to have a housegroup for these small questions. 

[Mantis]

He came in the spirit of Elijah is what I’ve been told. Somehow the spirit of Elijah can influence John. Dare I say reincarnation?

[Jayne]

36 minutes ago, Melinda12 said:

Mathew chapter 17 verses 10 to 13. 

Why did Jesus refer to John the Baptist as Elijah? I am confused. 

Any clarification welcomed please. I used to have a housegroup for these small questions. 

At the end of the Old Testament in Malachi, God says that he is sending Elijah back.  Malachi 4:5 = ""Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord."

Elijah has already been taken up in a whirlwind and for humanity - he was gone.  But God was sending him back.

How?  Not by reincarnation.  Reincarnation is in opposition to what the Bible teaches about life and death

 

John the Baptist was asked if he were Elijah and he said "No, I'm not".  John 1:19-21.   But Jesus said he was.  Matthew 11:13-14.

So what does that mean?  

Well, the answer lies in Luke 1.  When the angel appeared before Zechariah, John the Baptist's father to tell him that he would be having a son - one of the descriptor's the angel gave to Zechariah was that his son would be in the "spirit and power of Elijah as a forerunner of Jesus".

Elijah preached the reality of God and repentance.

John the Baptist preached the reality of the Messiah and repentance.

They had the same message.  John the Baptist was the last prophet of the Old Testament nature ...... he finished Elijah's work.

 

Edited August 19, 2020 by Jayne

[Heleadethme]

10 minutes ago, Melinda12 said:

Mathew chapter 17 verses 10 to 13. 

Why did Jesus refer to John the Baptist as Elijah? I am confused. 

Any clarification welcomed please. I used to have a housegroup for these small questions. 

I believe it is talking about the spirit of Elijah....ie, the same ministry that Elijah had, which was to call the people to repentance, to turn them back to the Lord.  Also believe we will see this same spirit and ministry in the last days before the great and terrible day of the Lord...to prepare the way for His second coming, much like it prepared the way for His first coming.  Turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers.  Curse of fatherlessness (which includes absent or uncaring fathers, unwed mothers, abusive fathers and divorce) seems to go hand in hand with apostasy......but more importantly that verse is very much an allegory for turning hearts of the children to THE FATHER, ie, to the heavenly Father, and that He should turn His heart to the children, ie, take pity on His flock and grant them repentance and the blessing which goes along with that.

[johnthebaptist]

3 hours ago, Melinda12 said:

Mathew chapter 17 verses 10 to 13. 

Why did Jesus refer to John the Baptist as Elijah? I am confused. 

Any clarification welcomed please. I used to have a housegroup for these small questions. 

Perhaps the two played the same role.

[Deborah_]

17 hours ago, Melinda12 said:

Mathew chapter 17 verses 10 to 13. 

Why did Jesus refer to John the Baptist as Elijah? I am confused. 

Any clarification welcomed please. I used to have a housegroup for these small questions. 

Right at the end of the Old Testament, God says, "See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents..." (Malachi 4:5,6)

When the angel appeared to John's father Zechariah, one of the things he said about John was this: "He will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous - to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." (Luke 1:17)

So John wasn't Elijah "reincarnated" - but he was a "second Elijah", and the fulfilment of Malachi's prophecy.

It was only when I went to Jordan a few years ago that I realised that the place where John began his ministry (Bethany beyond the Jordan - John 1:28) was the same place where Elijah had been taken up to heaven (II Kings 2:7-12). John also deliberately modelled himself on Elijah in the clothes he wore (II Kings 1:8, Mark 1:6).

There's even one more parallel between John the Baptist and Elijah: both men made an enemy of an evil queen. Jezebel and Herodias also had some similarities - both women were married to men of weak character and were utterly unscrupulous.

Hope this helps. 

[JohnDB]

There's a thing in OT scriptures.

 

"First comes judgement,

Then comes blessing"

 

Elijah was Judgement

Elisha was blessing.

 

David was Judgement

Solomon was blessing.

 

Jacob was Judgement

Joseph was blessing.

 

Moses was Judgement

Joshua was blessing. 

 

This theme was repeated over and over again in scriptures. 

John the Baptist was Judgement...

Jesus was blessing. 

[Heleadethme]

1 hour ago, JohnDB said:

There's a thing in OT scriptures.

 

"First comes judgement,

Then comes blessing"

 

Elijah was Judgement

Elisha was blessing.

 

David was Judgement

Solomon was blessing.

 

Jacob was Judgement

Joseph was blessing.

 

Moses was Judgement

Joshua was blessing. 

 

This theme was repeated over and over again in scriptures. 

John the Baptist was Judgement...

Jesus was blessing. 

Interesting thought there........in scripture time and time again there is restoration after judgment.  

[Guest]

19 hours ago, Jayne said:

At the end of the Old Testament in Malachi, God says that he is sending Elijah back.  Malachi 4:5 = ""Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord."

Elijah has already been taken up in a whirlwind and for humanity - he was gone.  But God was sending him back.

How?  Not by reincarnation.  Reincarnation is in opposition to what the Bible teaches about life and death

 

John the Baptist was asked if he were Elijah and he said "No, I'm not".  John 1:19-21.   But Jesus said he was.  Matthew 11:13-14.

So what does that mean?  

Well, the answer lies in Luke 1.  When the angel appeared before Zechariah, John the Baptist's father to tell him that he would be having a son - one of the descriptor's the angel gave to Zechariah was that his son would be in the "spirit and power of Elijah as a forerunner of Jesus".

Elijah preached the reality of God and repentance.

John the Baptist preached the reality of the Messiah and repentance.

They had the same message.  John the Baptist was the last prophet of the Old Testament nature ...... he finished Elijah's work.

 

Very helpful. Thankyou. 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Deborah_ said:

Right at the end of the Old Testament, God says, "See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents..." (Malachi 4:5,6)

When the angel appeared to John's father Zechariah, one of the things he said about John was this: "He will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous - to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." (Luke 1:17)

So John wasn't Elijah "reincarnated" - but he was a "second Elijah", and the fulfilment of Malachi's prophecy.

It was only when I went to Jordan a few years ago that I realised that the place where John began his ministry (Bethany beyond the Jordan - John 1:28) was the same place where Elijah had been taken up to heaven (II Kings 2:7-12). John also deliberately modelled himself on Elijah in the clothes he wore (II Kings 1:8, Mark 1:6).

There's even one more parallel between John the Baptist and Elijah: both men made an enemy of an evil queen. Jezebel and Herodias also had some similarities - both women were married to men of weak character and were utterly unscrupulous.

Hope this helps. 

That is incredibly helpful. Thankyou.