I believe Elijah has an end times ministry and will appear in Israel sometime before Tribulation begins. Given the ministry of Elijah before the Second Coming of Christ, it isn’t likely that Elijah would be one of the two witnesses. If he is, he’ll be a very busy fellow.
The following is taken from Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum.
Malachi 4:5-6: “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”
Verse 5 pinpoints the return of Elijah as coming before the day of Jehovah, namely before the Tribulation. Verse 6 goes on to describe the nature of Elijah’s ministry when he returns, that of a Jewish family re-union program. The Jewish family unit, strong for so many centuries, has in these last days begun to break down and, according to the prophetic word, will continue to break down. The ministry of Elijah is to restore this unity in preparation for the Second coming of the Messiah.
There is a great deal of confusion concerning the relationship of Elijah to John the Baptist. It should be kept in mind that the return of Elijah was never promised before the First Coming of Messiah. Elijah was only promised to come before the Second Coming of Messiah and the Tribulation itself. However, a forerunner was predicted before the First Coming of Messiah in Malachi 3:1: “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts.
The coming of a forerunner before the First Coming of Messiah was also predicted in Isaiah 40:3-5: A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. “Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
John the Baptist was clearly the fulfillment of these passages, as stated in Matthew 3:1-6: Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight!’”
Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.
Matthew 11:7-10 makes the same point: As these men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ palaces! But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written,
‘Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You,
Who will prepare Your way before You.’
The same is true in John 1:23: He said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
But while John the Baptist fulfilled those prophecies concerning the forerunner before the First Coming of Messiah, he was not Elijah who was promised before the Second Coming. This becomes clear when all the relevant passages are taken into account.
One important passage bearing on this question is found in John 1:19-23: This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he *said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
In this passage John the Baptist makes it clear that he is not Elijah. He never claimed to be Elijah and when asked he denied it. He only claimed to be the fulfillment of the Isaiah prophecy. The next passage is found in Matthew 17:9-13:
As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.” And His disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.
In answer to the disciples’ question regarding the coming of Elijah, the Messiah first of all states, in the future tense, that Elijah will indeed come to restore all things, which is a strong allusion to his ministry mentioned in Malachi 4:6. But this was a promise in relation to the Second Coming and not the First Coming. Hence, Elijah is yet to come to do the ministry of restoration. The disciples’ confusion at this stage was due to the fact that they did not yet understand the twofold coming of the Messiah and were still expecting Messiah to set up the Kingdom at that time. The parallel passage in Mark 9:9-13 adds the point that if Elijah had come before the First Coming and restored all things, then all the prophecies of the sufferings of the First Coming would remain unfulfilled. Elijah will indeed come first, but first before the Second Coming, not before the First Coming. John the Baptist did not accomplish the ministry of restoration Elijah was to accomplish.
But then Messiah adds that in one sense John the Baptist was Elijah. In what sense? Two other passages answer that. The first is in Matthew 11:11-14:
Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.
To understand what is being said, it should be noted that Messiah is preaching the good news of the Kingdom. If Israel would receive it; that is, the Kingdom, then John the Baptist would have fulfilled the function of Elijah and would have accomplished the ministry of restoration. But the Kingdom was rejected, and hence, John the Baptist did not fulfill the function of Elijah; thus, Elijah is yet to come to accomplish the work of restoration.
The second passage answering the question as to what way John the Baptist was Elijah is in Luke 1:13-17:
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 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 attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
In announcing the coming birth of John the Baptist, the angel declares that he will come in the spirit and power of Elijah.
Consolidating what these verses are saying, some time before the Tribulation Elijah the Prophet will return to do his work of restoration. Thus, Elijah will serve as a forerunner of Messiah’s Second Coming in the same way John the Baptist was the forerunner of Messiah’s First Coming. John was a type of Elijah in the he came in the spirit and power of Elijah. If Israel had accepted the message, then John the Baptist would have accomplished the function of Elijah, which was the work of restoration. However, John the Baptist and the Messiah were both rejected, and so Elijah is yet to come to perform the work of restoration before the Tribulation
It is not possible to pinpoint at this time exactly when Elijah will come before the Tribulation. Therefore, it is impossible to place his coming in any sequence of events.
Borrowed from Arnold Fruchtenbaum’s Footsteps of the Messiah, pages 130-134.
Scripture taken from the NASB1995.
From GotQuestions.org: Was John the Baptist really Elijah reincarnated? | GotQuestions.org
Was John the Baptist really Elijah reincarnated?
Matthew 11:7–14 declares, “Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: ‘What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.” I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.’” Here Jesus quotes from Malachi 3:1, where the messenger appears to be a prophetic figure who is going to appear. According to Malachi 4:5, this messenger is “the prophet Elijah,” whom Jesus identifies as John the Baptist. Does this mean that John the Baptist was Elijah reincarnated? Not at all.
First, Jesus’ original hearers (and Matthew’s original readers) would never have assumed Jesus’ words to refer to reincarnation. Besides, Elijah did not die; he was taken to heaven in a whirlwind as he rode in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11). Arguing for a reincarnation (or a resurrection) of Elijah misses that point. If anything, the prophecy of the Elijah “to come” would have been viewed as Elijah’s physical return to earth from heaven.
Second, the Bible is quite clear that John the Baptist is called “Elijah” because he came in the “spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17), not because he was Elijah in a literal sense. John the Baptist is the New Testament forerunner who points the way to the arrival of the Lord, just as Elijah filled that role in the Old Testament (and might again in the future—see Revelation 11).
Third, Elijah himself appears with Moses at Jesus’ transfiguration after John the Baptist’s death. This would not have happened if Elijah had changed his identity into that of John (Matthew 17:11–13).
Fourth, Mark 6:14–16 and 8:28 show that both the people and Herod distinguished between John the Baptist and Elijah.
Finally, proof that this John the Baptist was not Elijah reincarnated comes from John himself. In the first chapter of John the Apostle’s gospel, John the Baptist identifies himself as the messenger of Isaiah 40:3, not as the Elijah of Malachi 3:1. John the Baptist even goes so far as to specifically deny that he was Elijah (John 1:19–23).
John did for Jesus what Elijah was to have done for the coming of the Lord, but he was not Elijah reincarnated. Jesus identified John the Baptist as Elijah, while John the Baptist rejected that identification. How do we reconcile these two teachings? There is a key phrase in Jesus’ identification of John the Baptist that must not be overlooked. He says, “If you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah.” In other words, John the Baptist’s identification as Elijah was not predicated upon his being the actual Elijah, but upon people’s response to his role. To those who were willing to believe in Jesus, John the Baptist functioned as Elijah, for they believed in Jesus as Lord. To the religious leaders who rejected Jesus, John the Baptist did not perform this function.
From Jack Kelley’s Grace Thru Faith
gracethrufaith.com
John The Baptist And Elijah
Question: I was just curious why it is that when John the Baptist identifies himself in the Gospel of John as the one who was a voice crying out in the desert he attributed the scripture to Isaiah and not Malachi?
Answer:
It’s true that if John had used the quote from Malachi 4:5 it would have left no doubt as to his identity. But it would have also signaled the beginning of the Great Tribulation, which is the theme of Malachi 4.
But from the way both he and Jesus spoke about his identity, it appears that John would have fulfilled the prophecy of Elijah only if the people were ready to accept Jesus as their Messiah. In Matt. 11:14 Jesus said, “And if you are willing to accept it, he (John) is the Elijah who was to come.”
John, knowing that they weren’t ready, denied being Elijah in John 1:21 even though the Angel Gabriel had said that he would minister in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17). That left him the less specific quote from Isaiah 40:3 as one who came to herald the coming Messiah without completely fulfilling the role of Elijah.
It should be noted that the final verse of the Old Testament, Malachi 4:6 says that if the people refused Elijah, God would strike the land with a curse. In that sense, it may be that John could have used the Malachi prophecy after all.
The following is taken from Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum.
Malachi 4:5-6: “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”
Verse 5 pinpoints the return of Elijah as coming before the day of Jehovah, namely before the Tribulation. Verse 6 goes on to describe the nature of Elijah’s ministry when he returns, that of a Jewish family re-union program. The Jewish family unit, strong for so many centuries, has in these last days begun to break down and, according to the prophetic word, will continue to break down. The ministry of Elijah is to restore this unity in preparation for the Second coming of the Messiah.
There is a great deal of confusion concerning the relationship of Elijah to John the Baptist. It should be kept in mind that the return of Elijah was never promised before the First Coming of Messiah. Elijah was only promised to come before the Second Coming of Messiah and the Tribulation itself. However, a forerunner was predicted before the First Coming of Messiah in Malachi 3:1: “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts.
The coming of a forerunner before the First Coming of Messiah was also predicted in Isaiah 40:3-5: A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. “Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
John the Baptist was clearly the fulfillment of these passages, as stated in Matthew 3:1-6: Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight!’”
Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.
Matthew 11:7-10 makes the same point: As these men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ palaces! But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written,
‘Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You,
Who will prepare Your way before You.’
The same is true in John 1:23: He said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
But while John the Baptist fulfilled those prophecies concerning the forerunner before the First Coming of Messiah, he was not Elijah who was promised before the Second Coming. This becomes clear when all the relevant passages are taken into account.
One important passage bearing on this question is found in John 1:19-23: This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he *said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
In this passage John the Baptist makes it clear that he is not Elijah. He never claimed to be Elijah and when asked he denied it. He only claimed to be the fulfillment of the Isaiah prophecy. The next passage is found in Matthew 17:9-13:
As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.” And His disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.
In answer to the disciples’ question regarding the coming of Elijah, the Messiah first of all states, in the future tense, that Elijah will indeed come to restore all things, which is a strong allusion to his ministry mentioned in Malachi 4:6. But this was a promise in relation to the Second Coming and not the First Coming. Hence, Elijah is yet to come to do the ministry of restoration. The disciples’ confusion at this stage was due to the fact that they did not yet understand the twofold coming of the Messiah and were still expecting Messiah to set up the Kingdom at that time. The parallel passage in Mark 9:9-13 adds the point that if Elijah had come before the First Coming and restored all things, then all the prophecies of the sufferings of the First Coming would remain unfulfilled. Elijah will indeed come first, but first before the Second Coming, not before the First Coming. John the Baptist did not accomplish the ministry of restoration Elijah was to accomplish.
But then Messiah adds that in one sense John the Baptist was Elijah. In what sense? Two other passages answer that. The first is in Matthew 11:11-14:
Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.
To understand what is being said, it should be noted that Messiah is preaching the good news of the Kingdom. If Israel would receive it; that is, the Kingdom, then John the Baptist would have fulfilled the function of Elijah and would have accomplished the ministry of restoration. But the Kingdom was rejected, and hence, John the Baptist did not fulfill the function of Elijah; thus, Elijah is yet to come to accomplish the work of restoration.
The second passage answering the question as to what way John the Baptist was Elijah is in Luke 1:13-17:
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 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 attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
In announcing the coming birth of John the Baptist, the angel declares that he will come in the spirit and power of Elijah.
Consolidating what these verses are saying, some time before the Tribulation Elijah the Prophet will return to do his work of restoration. Thus, Elijah will serve as a forerunner of Messiah’s Second Coming in the same way John the Baptist was the forerunner of Messiah’s First Coming. John was a type of Elijah in the he came in the spirit and power of Elijah. If Israel had accepted the message, then John the Baptist would have accomplished the function of Elijah, which was the work of restoration. However, John the Baptist and the Messiah were both rejected, and so Elijah is yet to come to perform the work of restoration before the Tribulation
It is not possible to pinpoint at this time exactly when Elijah will come before the Tribulation. Therefore, it is impossible to place his coming in any sequence of events.
Borrowed from Arnold Fruchtenbaum’s Footsteps of the Messiah, pages 130-134.
Scripture taken from the NASB1995.
From GotQuestions.org: Was John the Baptist really Elijah reincarnated? | GotQuestions.org
Was John the Baptist really Elijah reincarnated?
Matthew 11:7–14 declares, “Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: ‘What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.” I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.’” Here Jesus quotes from Malachi 3:1, where the messenger appears to be a prophetic figure who is going to appear. According to Malachi 4:5, this messenger is “the prophet Elijah,” whom Jesus identifies as John the Baptist. Does this mean that John the Baptist was Elijah reincarnated? Not at all.
First, Jesus’ original hearers (and Matthew’s original readers) would never have assumed Jesus’ words to refer to reincarnation. Besides, Elijah did not die; he was taken to heaven in a whirlwind as he rode in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11). Arguing for a reincarnation (or a resurrection) of Elijah misses that point. If anything, the prophecy of the Elijah “to come” would have been viewed as Elijah’s physical return to earth from heaven.
Second, the Bible is quite clear that John the Baptist is called “Elijah” because he came in the “spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17), not because he was Elijah in a literal sense. John the Baptist is the New Testament forerunner who points the way to the arrival of the Lord, just as Elijah filled that role in the Old Testament (and might again in the future—see Revelation 11).
Third, Elijah himself appears with Moses at Jesus’ transfiguration after John the Baptist’s death. This would not have happened if Elijah had changed his identity into that of John (Matthew 17:11–13).
Fourth, Mark 6:14–16 and 8:28 show that both the people and Herod distinguished between John the Baptist and Elijah.
Finally, proof that this John the Baptist was not Elijah reincarnated comes from John himself. In the first chapter of John the Apostle’s gospel, John the Baptist identifies himself as the messenger of Isaiah 40:3, not as the Elijah of Malachi 3:1. John the Baptist even goes so far as to specifically deny that he was Elijah (John 1:19–23).
John did for Jesus what Elijah was to have done for the coming of the Lord, but he was not Elijah reincarnated. Jesus identified John the Baptist as Elijah, while John the Baptist rejected that identification. How do we reconcile these two teachings? There is a key phrase in Jesus’ identification of John the Baptist that must not be overlooked. He says, “If you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah.” In other words, John the Baptist’s identification as Elijah was not predicated upon his being the actual Elijah, but upon people’s response to his role. To those who were willing to believe in Jesus, John the Baptist functioned as Elijah, for they believed in Jesus as Lord. To the religious leaders who rejected Jesus, John the Baptist did not perform this function.
From Jack Kelley’s Grace Thru Faith
John The Baptist And Elijah – Grace thru faith
gracethrufaith.com
John The Baptist And Elijah
Question: I was just curious why it is that when John the Baptist identifies himself in the Gospel of John as the one who was a voice crying out in the desert he attributed the scripture to Isaiah and not Malachi?
Answer:
It’s true that if John had used the quote from Malachi 4:5 it would have left no doubt as to his identity. But it would have also signaled the beginning of the Great Tribulation, which is the theme of Malachi 4.
But from the way both he and Jesus spoke about his identity, it appears that John would have fulfilled the prophecy of Elijah only if the people were ready to accept Jesus as their Messiah. In Matt. 11:14 Jesus said, “And if you are willing to accept it, he (John) is the Elijah who was to come.”
John, knowing that they weren’t ready, denied being Elijah in John 1:21 even though the Angel Gabriel had said that he would minister in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17). That left him the less specific quote from Isaiah 40:3 as one who came to herald the coming Messiah without completely fulfilling the role of Elijah.
It should be noted that the final verse of the Old Testament, Malachi 4:6 says that if the people refused Elijah, God would strike the land with a curse. In that sense, it may be that John could have used the Malachi prophecy after all.
.
