Malachi 4:5-6a NCV
But I will send you Elijah the prophet before that great and terrifying day of the Lord’s judging. v6. Elijah will help parents love their children and the children love their parents.
Note: Malachi prophesies that Elijah would come and minister before the coming day of the Lord. The New Testament reveals that this prophecy refers to John the Baptist, who, “in the spirit and power of Elijah,” prepared the way for the Messiah.
Luke 1:16-17 Angel spoke to Zechariah about John being like Elijah.
And he will turn back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the Spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children and the disobedient to the attitudes of the righteous so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. [New American Standard]
Matthew 11:13-14 NCV
All the prophets and the Law of Moses told about what would happen until the time John came. And if you will believe that John is Elijah, whom they said would come.
Dorothy:
I find this interesting because I notice how they fit together about the theme: Elijah, the prophet who refers to John the Baptist. Malachi was the last 39th books of the Bible to talk about the coming of the “Elijah” and he was to prepare the way of the Lord. John the Baptist like Elijah preached to the people to turn their hearts back to the Lord. At those times, John the Baptist focused on the families to get right with God and each other. John encouraged the fathers to love their children by praying for them and teaching them God’s word. Pastors, like John the Baptist is to prepare the people for the Lord’s coming again.
What this means to me?
I was inspired how the Lord arranged things. After the book of Malachi, there was silent for 400 years. In the book of Luke, the angel Gabriel met with Zechariah and he was to name a son, John and he was to introduce Christ to the people. In the book of Matthew, Jesus tells us that now He is the One whom all the prophets prophesied about Him. It is like Jesus is saying, “Hey, this is Me. I am finally here.” Oh, the wonder of it all just to think how God loves you and me.
