Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

My personal opinion is that the prophecy in Malachi 4:5-6 that God would send Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord has been fulfilled, and does not await further fulfillment in connection with the events of the end times.

Some see a significance in the uniqueness of Enoch (in Genesis 5:24) and Elijah (in 2 Kings 2:11) being recorded as being taken by God without experiencing death, and therefore suggest a consequent connection between them and the two (unnamed) witnesses whom God will send to prophesy in the end times, as recorded in Revelation 11:3.

However, the stated purpose of Elijah's return (as described in the passage from Malachi) was to be reconciliation and a call to repentance, whereas the two witnesses in Revelation will have the power to destroy their enemies with fire, and to send plagues upon the earth.

Coupled with the facts that the witnesses in Revelation are not named, and that Jesus Himself (in Matthew 17:12 and Mark 9:13) specifically equated the prophecy in Malachi with the ministry of John the Baptist -- even to the point of referring to John as "Elijah" -- and also referred to Micah's prophecy as having been already fulfilled in the past, I personally do not see support for another future appearance being foretold in Scripture for either Elijah himself, or an Elijah-like figure.

November 17 2015 • 2 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report