K-Bible : Elijah & John the Baptist
◇ In Malachi 4:5-6 of the Old Testament, it is said that before God and the Messiah come in the New Testament, the prophet Elijah will come first, turning the hearts of broken fathers to their children, and the hearts of broken children to their fathers. If they do not, judgment will follow.
(Malachi 4:5-6) “Behold, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”
When that prophecy was fulfilled in the new age, during the time of Jesus,
the prophet Elijah, who was said to return, came as a ‘spirit.’
On the Mount of Transfiguration, only the spirit appeared briefly with Moses.
The prophet Malachi prophesied in the Old Testament that "Elijah will come and turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers." However, Elijah did not return and proclaim anything at all.
In reality, John the Baptist came with Elijah's spirit, and he proclaimed that the hearts of the fathers of that time would turn to their children, and that the hearts of the children would turn to their fathers.
In reality, John the Baptist was a man of "flesh."
Before giving birth to John the Baptist, God spoke through an angel to his father, the priest Zechariah, saying, "She will give birth to a son, and you shall call his name John." (Luke 1:13) “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to name him John.”
Also, regarding the future John, it was said,
“He will go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah,
to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,
and the disobedient to the bosom of the righteous,
to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
He will prepare the way for the Lord.”
(Luke 1:17) “He will go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,
and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous,
to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
◇ When the prophet Malachi prophesied,
it was said that ‘the prophet Elijah’ would come,
but in reality, a different person, ‘John the Baptist,’ came with that mission and carried out the prophecy of Elijah. Because the times were different,
the prophecy was fulfilled by another man, John the Baptist.
◇ Elijah ascended to heaven 900 years before John the Baptist.
As we read in 2 Kings 2:11,
"As they were walking and talking,
suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated them both.
And Elijah went up in a whirlwind into heaven."
It appears as if Elijah's "body" ascended to heaven,
but in reality, 900 years later, during the time of Jesus,
only the "spirit" came when Elijah returned.
We know the <cause> by looking at the <result>.
Therefore, we can know that Elijah's spirit ascended to heaven during his ascension.
The <cause> is determined by the <result> that actually came true.
This means that,
regardless of how a prophecy was made,
we judge and view prophecy by its actual fulfillment.
It is the ascension of the spirit, the descent of the spirit!