Malachi 4:5-6, fulfilled by John the Baptist or not?

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S

starfield

Senior Member
#1
Jun 13, 2009
3,393
58
48
#1
Has the prophecy of Malachi 4:5-6 been fulfilled? Will there be a literal advent of Elijah in the future before the day of the Lord or was John the Baptist the fulfilment?

Malachi 4:1-6
1. For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
2. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
3. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
4. Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
5. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
6. 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.

Discuss! :)
 
Photoss

Photoss

Senior Member
#2
Sep 15, 2012
213
10
0
#2
I see it as Christ, since it was Moses and Elijah that appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration. Moses represented the Mosaic Law, and those who had died, while Elijah represented the Prophets and those who are not dead, but alive in Christ. Both/all proclaim Christ as God. My 2 cents.
 
J

josh123

Guest
#3
#3
starfield said:
Has the prophecy of Malachi 4:5-6 been fulfilled? Will there be a literal advent of Elijah in the future before the day of the Lord or was John the Baptist the fulfilment?

Malachi 4:1-6
1. For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
2. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
3. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
4. Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
5. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
6. 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.

Discuss! :)
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No it wasn't
 
J

josh123

Guest
#4
#4
Photoss said:
I see it as Christ, since it was Moses and Elijah that appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration. Moses represented the Mosaic Law, and those who had died, while Elijah represented the Prophets and those who are not dead, but alive in Christ. Both/all proclaim Christ as God. My 2 cents.
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it is exactly what it says elijah the prophet the spirit of elijah returns to bring the faith or the fathers back in the first church to the heart of the children of now and it has been fullfiled but no one got the message
 
J

josh123

Guest
#5
#5
malachi 3 was john the baptist
 
J

josh123

Guest
#6
#6
11 And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.
2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:
5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
[h=3]Matthew 11:1-10[/h]
 
L

Least

Guest
#8
#8
The first passage that uses the term, the "spirit of Elijah" is recorded in this account.

2 Kings 2:9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

The people during that time even recognized this:

2 Kings 2:15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

Matthew 11:13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
Matthew 11:14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
Matthew 11:15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

One thing that every prophet of God in the bible had in common was that they all taught repentance and were sent to turn the hearts of the people back to God.

We see this with Elijah when he called out the prophets of baal.

1 Kings 18:18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.
1 Kings 18:19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.
1 Kings 18:20 So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.

1 Kings 18:36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
1 Kings 18:37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
1 Kings 18:38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
1 Kings 18:39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.
1 Kings 18:40 And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

Even before John the Baptist was born:

Luke 1:15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
Luke 1:16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
Luke 1:17 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.

Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

John 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
 
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josh123

Guest
#9
#9
the spirit keeps on moving on unto someone else and the malachi 4 prophecy was fullfilled 50-60 years ago
 
L

Least

Guest
#10
#10
josh123 said:
the spirit keeps on moving on unto someone else and the malachi 4 prophecy was fullfilled 50-60 years ago
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I've wondered, with the times that we are in, if that isn't the same call going out today. "Make straight the way of the Lord."
 
R

RachelBibleStudent

Guest
#11
#11
jesus said john the baptist fulfilled malachi's prophecy and that is good enough for me... :)
 
J

john832

Senior Member
#12
May 31, 2013
11,365
186
63
#12
Type and anti-type.

Mat 17:10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?

They knew this...

Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
Mal 4:6 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.

Now let's continue in Mat 17...

Mat 17:11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.

Notice this is future tense? Elijah shall come. Now we refer back to Mal 4:5...

Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

You can do a search with a concordance on the day of the Lord, it is an end time event that has not occurred yet. Mat 17:11 is prophetic and looks ahead to the end time. Now continue in Mat 17...

Mat 17:12 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.
Mat 17:13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

So, John the Baptist was the type, but Christ was looking forward to another Elijah who would prepare the way for Christ's second coming. He has yet to be revealed.
 
L

Least

Guest
#13
#13
john832 said:
Type and anti-type.

Mat 17:10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?

They knew this...

Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
Mal 4:6 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.

Now let's continue in Mat 17...

Mat 17:11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.

Notice this is future tense? Elijah shall come. Now we refer back to Mal 4:5...

Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

You can do a search with a concordance on the day of the Lord, it is an end time event that has not occurred yet. Mat 17:11 is prophetic and looks ahead to the end time. Now continue in Mat 17...

Mat 17:12 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.
Mat 17:13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

So, John the Baptist was the type, but Christ was looking forward to another Elijah who would prepare the way for Christ's second coming. He has yet to be revealed.
Click to expand...
Matthew 11:13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
Matthew 11:14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
Matthew 11:15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

One thing that every prophet of God in the bible had in common was that they all taught repentance and were sent to turn the hearts of the people back to God.

I think that there's always that call for repentance and turning hearts to God and back to God.

It's a repeated theme throughout the scriptures.

I just don't think that we hear it as often these days.

It's amazing how things change. Churches have changed so much even in our own lifetimes, with what's acceptable and what's not, what's important, and what's not.
 
Starcrash

Starcrash

Banned
#14
Aug 5, 2013
624
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#14
I can see both sides of this debate (which at the moment seem to be "literally Elijah" and "John the Baptist"). On the one hand, Matthew 11:13-14 (thanks for the citation, Least) makes it clear that Jesus believed John to have fulfilled the prophecy. But there are problems with that theory -- for one thing, John 1:21 makes it clear that John didn't think that he was Elijah. And earlier in that same chapter of Matthew, John asks if Jesus is the Messiah, which puts his own supposed role as Elijah in doubt (since he was asking the very question that he was supposed to be answering).

If I had to guess, I'd say the passage refers to a later date. Malachi 4:1 talks about "the day... that burns like an oven", which seems to be talking about the end times (also in verse 5, "the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord"). And in that case, why couldn't it be talking about the return of the literal Elijah?
 
L

Least

Guest
#15
#15
Starcrash said:
I can see both sides of this debate (which at the moment seem to be "literally Elijah" and "John the Baptist"). On the one hand, Matthew 11:13-14 (thanks for the citation, Least) makes it clear that Jesus believed John to have fulfilled the prophecy. But there are problems with that theory -- for one thing, John 1:21 makes it clear that John didn't think that he was Elijah. And earlier in that same chapter of Matthew, John asks if Jesus is the Messiah, which puts his own supposed role as Elijah in doubt (since he was asking the very question that he was supposed to be answering).

If I had to guess, I'd say the passage refers to a later date. Malachi 4:1 talks about "the day... that burns like an oven", which seems to be talking about the end times (also in verse 5, "the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord"). And in that case, why couldn't it be talking about the return of the literal Elijah?
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Hi Starcrash,

In reference to John 1:21, the only thing that we can do is to compare other instances where the "Spirit of Elijah" is shown in the scriptures.

After Elisha received the double anointing from Elijah, he didn't ever claim to be Elijah himself. However, the people recognized that he had that same anointing.
 
K

Kerry

Guest
#16
#16
THe jewish people still do this ti this day at their saders. They go and look for the prophet Elijah after eating the lamb and bitter herbs and hiding a piece of unleavened bread.

Elijah will return as one of the two witness. Jesus had John to herald His coming and Elijah and Enoch will herald His second coming. A king always has a herald.
 
Bookends

Bookends

Senior Member
#17
Aug 28, 2012
4,225
99
48
#17
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Oh how the bible speaks of people moving away from sound judgment:

Matthew 17 (Young's Literal Translation)
[/FONT]11 And Jesus answering said to them, `Elijah doth indeed come first, and shall restore all things,
12 and I say to you -- Elijah did already come, and they did not know him, but did with him whatever they would, so also the Son of Man is about to suffer by them.'
13 Then understood the disciples that concerning John the Baptist he spake to them.
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
This is clear as a sunshiny day.[/FONT]
 
Bookends

Bookends

Senior Member
#18
Aug 28, 2012
4,225
99
48
#18
josh123 said:
the spirit keeps on moving on unto someone else and the malachi 4 prophecy was fullfilled 50-60 years ago
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Can you back this up with scripture please? And demonstrate how this was fulfilled 50-60 yrs ago?
 
J

john832

Senior Member
#19
May 31, 2013
11,365
186
63
#19
josh123 said:
malachi 3 was john the baptist
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Mal 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

Christ did not come suddenly to His Temple in 27 AD.

Mal 3:2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:[/quote]

Obviously not the first coming, this occurs at the second coming...

2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Mal 3:3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
Mal 3:4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.

Now read Ezek 40 through 48 for a picture of the Temple in the Millenium.

Mal 3 is the Elijah to come who will prepare the way for the second coming.
 
curlyafropuff

curlyafropuff

Banned
#20
Aug 20, 2013
53
0
0
#20
starfield said:
Has the prophecy of Malachi 4:5-6 been fulfilled? Will there be a literal advent of Elijah in the future before the day of the Lord or was John the Baptist the fulfilment?

Malachi 4:1-6
1. For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
2. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
3. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
4. Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
5. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
6. 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.

Discuss! :)
Click to expand...
The coming of the dreadful day of the LORD... is that pre, mid, or post trib?
 
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