The closing verses of the Old Testament promise the return of the prophet Elijah, a preparatory ministry that precedes the great and dreadful Day of the Lord. This article examines the promise, its fulfillment in John the Baptist, and the further fulfillment that many Christians still expect.

Malachi's Pivotal Prophecy

The definitive pronouncement regarding Elijah's return is found in the very last chapter of the prophet Malachi. Here, God reveals His divine plan to send a messenger of repentance before the final judgment. It reads:

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

Malachi 4:5
KJV

And the purpose of this unique ministry is equally specific:

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.

Malachi 4:6
KJV

This prophecy closes the Old Testament, bridging the silence between the testaments and setting the stage for the Messiah's advent and His second coming. The phrase "the great and dreadful day of the LORD" is a biblical phrase (compare Joel 2:31) referring to a period of divine judgment and the Lord's visible intervention in world affairs.

John the Baptist: Elijah in Spirit and Power

Centuries after Malachi's prophecy, the New Testament introduces John the Baptist, a figure whose ministry bore striking resemblances to that of Elijah. Dressed similarly, preaching repentance in the wilderness, and confronting religious hypocrisy, John undeniably fulfilled a preparatory role for the first coming of Christ. The angel Gabriel prophesied concerning John:

And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Luke 1:17
KJV

Jesus Himself affirmed John's unique position in relation to the Malachi prophecy. Speaking to the multitudes concerning John, Jesus stated:

And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.

Matthew 11:14
KJV

Further, after the Transfiguration, the disciples specifically asked Jesus, "Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?" Jesus' response is crucial for understanding this prophecy:

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

Matthew 17:11-13
KJV

This passage clearly indicates that John the Baptist was the Elijah of Malachi's prophecy. As Matthew Henry says, "we Christians know very well that John Baptist was the Elias that was to come." He came "in the spirit and power of Elias," turning hearts towards God before the Messiah's arrival.

The Great and Dreadful Day: A Further Fulfillment

John the Baptist fulfilled the Elijah prophecy, and Matthew Henry reads "the great and dreadful day" as the Messiah's own coming, which "introduced the ruin of the Jewish church and nation"; he adds that the day of Christ's first coming "was as that day will be when he comes again." Many Christians therefore look in Malachi 4:5 for a further fulfillment, since John's ministry preceded an era of grace and salvation, not "the great and dreadful day of the LORD" in its ultimate, eschatological sense. The Day of the Lord, throughout prophetic scripture, denotes a period of divine judgment, wrath, and the direct intervention of God to establish His kingdom, culminating in the Second Coming of Christ.

On this reading, John the Baptist did not preach before the final outpouring of God's wrath upon the earth, nor did his ministry avert a global curse in the way implied by Malachi 4:6, and the earth has not yet been smitten with a curse in the comprehensive way that Malachi foretells for the Day of the Lord. Those who hold it look for a future, perhaps more literal, fulfillment of the Elijah prophecy before the full manifestation of the Day of the Lord and the Second Coming of Christ.

Elijah and the Two Witnesses of Revelation

Consider the "two witnesses" described in Revelation 11:3-12. These two figures are prophesied to minister for 1,260 days, which the futurist reading places in the tribulation period, empowered by God to perform mighty signs and judgments. Their characteristics bear striking parallels to the historical ministries of both Elijah and Moses:

  • They have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy (Revelation 11:6), reminiscent of Elijah's decree in 1 Kings 17:1.
  • They have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues (Revelation 11:6), echoing Moses' miracles in Egypt (Exodus 7:19).
  • Fire proceeds out of their mouth to devour their enemies (Revelation 11:5), similar to Elijah calling down fire from heaven in 2 Kings 1:10.

Furthermore, Elijah is one of only two individuals in the Old Testament who did not experience physical death but was taken to heaven alive (2 Kings 2:11). The scripture states, "it is appointed unto men once to die" (Hebrews 9:27). Tertullian wrote of Enoch and Elijah that "they are reserved for the suffering of death, that by their blood they may extinguish Antichrist." The Bible does not name the two witnesses; those who take Elijah to be one of them see him ministering before the climactic "great and dreadful day of the Lord" and preparing the way for Christ's return.

The Purpose of Elijah's Eschatological Ministry

The core purpose of Elijah's return, whether literal or in the spirit and power of another, remains consistent with Malachi's original prophecy: "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" (Malachi 4:6). This speaks to a spiritual reconciliation and restoration. It implies a turning away from apostasy and back to the covenant relationship with God, particularly for the nation of Israel, but potentially impacting the whole world.

In the futurist reading, this ministry would be a final, urgent call to repentance before the full outpouring of God's wrath, a sign of God's enduring mercy and a last opportunity to turn and embrace the Messiah before His return to judge the living and the dead. He would prepare a remnant to receive their King.

Conclusion: A Prophetic Sign of the End

The prophecy of Elijah's return before the Day of the Lord is a significant truth within biblical eschatology. While John the Baptist fulfilled a vital preparatory role before Christ's first advent, those who hold the futurist reading expect the ultimate and complete fulfillment in the period immediately preceding the Lord's glorious and dreadful Second Coming. Whether through a literal return or through a figure imbued with his spirit and power, Elijah's ministry will be a final, urgent call to repentance and reconciliation, aligning hearts with God's will before the final judgment.

For believers, this prophecy displays God's faithfulness to His word and His desire for humanity's salvation. It shows the urgency of spiritual readiness and discernment in an age drawing ever closer to the consummation of all things. The expectation of Elijah's return urges all to heed the call to repentance and prepare for the return of the King of kings and Lord of lords.