Replacement theology? Yes or No.

[cv5]

Re: The Days of Elijah

Elijah has already come.

Malachi 4:5-6
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
And he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.'

Matthew 17:10-13
And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands." Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

Matthew 11:13-15
For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he (John the Baptist) is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Matthew 21:32
For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.

Is there, in scripture somewhere, a "second" day of Elijah mentioned? It seems like, if you missed the first one (or worse, persecuted John the Baptist) then one's only hope is to turn to Christ for mercy.

BTW @Revelation1v8 did you take note of the wash-rinse-repeat cycle when the CT's and RT's have been debunked?
This is standard operating procedure as we know.
But let us end this hoaxing for the benefit of those who are seeking the legitimate Biblical truth of the matter.

The biblically accurate interpretation distinguishes between John's preparatory ministry at the First Advent and the future fulfillment of Malachi's prophecy in connection with the Day of the LORD and Israel's national repentance.
Most importantly, Jesus Himself speaks of Elijah's coming and restoration in Matthew 17:11, while immediately acknowledging that Elijah had already come in the person of John the Baptist in Matthew 17:12.

1. Matthew 17:11 — Jesus explicitly affirms Elijah's coming restoration​

Matthew 17:11 (KJV)

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

Compare the following verse:
Matthew 17:12 (KJV)

But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed.

Notice the distinction:

• Verse 11: Elijah shall come and restore all things.
• Verse 12: Elijah has come already and was rejected.

The Greek of verse 11 contains apokatastēsei (ἀποκαταστήσει), a future indicative meaning "will restore." Thus, the future restoration is grammatically explicit.

The crucial question is this:
When did John the Baptist restore all things?
He did not accomplish the prophesied national repentance of Israel. The leadership rejected his testimony, rejected Christ, and ultimately participated in the events culminating in Christ's crucifixion.
Indeed, Matthew 17:12 specifically emphasizes the rejection of John.
The futurist interpretation consequently recognizes a distinction between the rejected forerunner at the First Advent and the restoration associated with Elijah's promised ministry before the consummation of the Day of the LORD.
Importantly, Matthew 17:11 should not be read in isolation from Malachi 4:5–6, the very prophecy under discussion.

2. Malachi 4:5–6 — Elijah comes before the great and dreadful Day of the LORD​

Malachi 4:5 (KJV)

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

The timing matters enormously.
Malachi does not simply predict someone who will appear before the Messiah's earthly ministry. It specifically connects Elijah with the great and dreadful Day of the LORD.
Examine the immediately preceding context.
Malachi 4:1 (KJV)

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.

This is prophetic judgment language, associated in the futurist interpretation with the climactic Day of the LORD.
And Malachi 4:6 describes Elijah's ministry of turning hearts before judgment.
The text therefore poses a serious challenge to the claim that the entire prophecy was exhausted by John's appearance.
John's ministry was historically completed, but the final eschatological judgment described by Malachi and the promised national restoration of Israel have not been fulfilled in the way futurist interpreters understand these prophecies.
The burden is on the opposing interpretation to explain why John's First Advent ministry exhausts a prophecy specifically linked to the great and dreadful Day of the LORD.

3. Luke 1:17 — John came in the spirit and power of Elijah​

Luke 1:17 (KJV)

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.

Observe the precision of Gabriel's language.
John was to minister in the spirit and power of Elijah.
Gabriel does not explicitly identify John as the historical Elijah returned to earth.
That distinction becomes particularly significant when considered alongside John's own testimony.
John 1:21 (KJV)

And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not.

There is no necessary contradiction between John 1:21 and Matthew 11:14.
John denies being Elijah personally; Jesus identifies him as Elijah in the prophetic sense connected with his appointed ministry.
Furthermore, Matthew 11:14 contains an important qualification:

And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.

From a dispensational perspective, this conditional language is consistent with John's presentation of the kingdom to Israel and the nation's subsequent rejection of its King.
However, the conditional wording alone does not prove that Elijah must come a second time. That conclusion rests on the larger prophetic context.

4. Mark 9:11–13 — The restoration and rejection are both affirmed​

Mark 9:12 (KJV)

And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.

Again, two themes appear together: Elijah's restoration and the Messiah's suffering.
The following verse acknowledges that Elijah has already come and was mistreated.
This closely parallels Matthew 17:11–12 and is compatible with the futurist distinction between a rejected First Advent ministry and the eventual restoration.
It does not, standing alone, conclusively establish that Elijah himself must return. But it certainly prevents the opposing poster from treating the restoration language as irrelevant.

5. Joel 2:31–32 — The Day of the LORD culminates in deliverance for Israel's remnant​

Joel 2:31–32 (KJV)

The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come.

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

Compare Joel's prophecy with Malachi's:

Malachi 4:5–6	Joel 2:31–32
Great and dreadful Day of the LORD	Great and terrible Day of the LORD
Elijah comes before that Day	Cosmic signs precede that Day
Hearts are turned	A remnant calls upon the LORD
Judgment threatens the land	Deliverance occurs in Zion and Jerusalem

These passages provide a significant thematic connection between repentance, judgment, and deliverance.
Joel explicitly describes salvation for a remnant associated with Jerusalem and Zion.

The futurist reading places the ultimate fulfillment in the concluding events of Daniel's seventieth week and Christ's return.
One qualification matters: although both prophecies concern the Day of the LORD, they do not explicitly identify the same precise moment in its unfolding. The passages establish a prophetic relationship, not a detailed chronological timetable.

 

[God-fearing]

Re: The Days of Elijah

Elijah has already come.

Malachi 4:5-6
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
And he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.'

Matthew 17:10-13
And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands." Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

Matthew 11:13-15
For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he (John the Baptist) is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Matthew 21:32
For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.

Is there, in scripture somewhere, a "second" day of Elijah mentioned? It seems like, if you missed the first one (or worse, persecuted John the Baptist) then one's only hope is to turn to Christ for mercy.

And the days of Elijah are still here. Are we not to turn the hearts back? Are we not given authority and power from on high to accomplish all of God's will? Are we not called to make way for the king? As long as God is calling the days are here.

 

[cv5]

6. Matthew 23:37–39 — Christ foretells Israel's eventual acknowledgment of Him​

This passage is particularly important because Jesus speaks directly to Jerusalem following its rejection of God's messengers.
Matthew 23:37–39 (KJV)

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Notice "till ye shall say."
In the dispensational interpretation, the nation's present rejection is not its final condition.
Jesus invokes Psalm 118:26, a messianic greeting, and places a future acknowledgment of Him beyond Jerusalem's judgment.
This connects naturally with Israel's future repentance, especially when considered alongside Zechariah 12.

7. Zechariah 12:10 and 13:1 — Israel mourns for the One whom they pierced​

Zechariah 12:10 (KJV)

And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

Zechariah 13:1 (KJV)

In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.

Who are the named recipients?
The house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
The prophecy connects their mourning with cleansing from sin.
Within a futurist reading, this describes national Israel's eventual recognition of her rejected Messiah.
The continuation in Zechariah 14:4, 9 describes the LORD standing upon the Mount of Olives and reigning over all the earth.
Thus, the prophetic sequence encompasses Jerusalem's crisis, repentance, purification, and the establishment of divine kingship.
John's historical ministry did not accomplish these events.

8. Romans 11:25–29 — The decisive New Testament testimony concerning Israel​

The most substantial omission in the poster's argument is Romans 11.
Romans 11:25–26 (KJV)

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

Romans 11:28–29 (KJV)

As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.

For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

Paul distinguishes Israel from the Gentiles and describes Israel's hardening as partial, while declaring the permanence of God's election promises.
The futurist interpretation understands "all Israel shall be saved" as the future salvation of national Israel, specifically the believing nation surviving the eschatological judgments—not the salvation of every Jewish individual throughout history.

The connection with Elijah is theological rather than explicit: Romans 11 promises Israel's salvation, but does not identify Elijah as the means by which that salvation occurs.
Nonetheless, the passage strongly supports the argument that Israel's rejection of John and Jesus cannot automatically mean that God has permanently abandoned His covenant purposes for Israel.

9. Acts 3:19–21 — Peter still anticipated the restoration after Christ's ascension​

Acts 3:19–21 (KJV)

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

Peter proclaimed this after John's death, Christ's crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.
Yet the times of restitution of all things remained a future prospect.
This is significant when compared with Jesus' prediction that Elijah would restore all things.
The passages employ related restoration language, although Acts 3:21 does not explicitly mention Elijah or assert that Peter's "restitution of all things" and Elijah's activity are identical.
Nevertheless, the coming restoration remained an integral part of apostolic preaching.

10. Ezekiel 36–37 and Jeremiah 31 — Israel's restoration is an explicit covenant promise​

Consider the promises that undergird the dispensational position.
Ezekiel 36:24 (KJV)

For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

Ezekiel 36:26 (KJV)

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

Ezekiel 37:21–22 promises the regathering of Israel and its reunification as one nation in the land.
Jeremiah 31:31 (KJV)

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

These are not merely predictions of an individual's conversion. They address God's corporate covenant dealings with Israel and Judah.
Ezekiel 37:24–28 further connects the restored nation with the Davidic ruler, everlasting covenant, and divine sanctuary.
There is an especially important parallel with Malachi: both speak of God's transforming work among His covenant people.
Covenant theologians generally interpret these promises through their understanding of fulfillment in Christ and the people of God. Dispensationalists instead maintain that the national dimensions of these promises retain their original referents.
The opposing poster cannot settle that substantial exegetical disagreement simply by announcing that John the Baptist has already come.

Conclusion​

• Matthew 23:39: Jerusalem's eventual acknowledgment of the Messiah.
• Zechariah 12:10–13:1: The mourning and cleansing of the house of David and Jerusalem.
• Romans 11:25–29: Israel's partial hardening, eventual salvation, and God's irrevocable calling.
• Ezekiel 36–37: Israel's regathering, regeneration, reunification, and covenant restoration.
• Acts 3:19–21: The future restitution proclaimed after Christ's First Advent.

 

[cv5]

And the days of Elijah are still here. Are we not to turn the hearts back? Are we not given authority and power from on high to accomplish all of God's will? Are we not called to make way for the king? As long as God is calling the days are here.

Correction: Elijah's ministry is to inaugurate the Restoration of the Kingdom.........TO THE NATION ISRAEL.

The ministry of Elijah has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on this PRESENT CHURCH AGE.
This AGE is the interregnum that ***ends*** when the fullness of the gentiles be come in......

 

[Revelation1v8]

Correction: Elijah's ministry is to inaugurate the Restoration of the Kingdom.........TO THE NATION ISRAEL.

The ministry of Elijah has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on this PRESENT CHURCH AGE.
This AGE is the interregnum that ***ends*** when the fullness of the gentiles be come in......

Thanks! Even I missed the subtlety of Matthew 17:11! It just goes to show us how careful and diligent we need to be when reading scripture!!



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[cv5]

Re: The Days of Elijah

Elijah has already come.

Malachi 4:5-6
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
And he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.'

Matthew 17:10-13
And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands." Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

Matthew 11:13-15
For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he (John the Baptist) is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Matthew 21:32
For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.

Is there, in scripture somewhere, a "second" day of Elijah mentioned? It seems like, if you missed the first one (or worse, persecuted John the Baptist) then one's only hope is to turn to Christ for mercy.

Being profoundly wrong somewhere between 150-200 times about hyper-critical Bible prophecy is nothing to be proud of fella.
Most conscientious people would label this kind of ignorance as "shameful".

The phrase bayyôm hahû' (בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא — "in that day") is a cornerstone vocabulary marker of Hebrew prophecy. Across the entire Hebrew Bible, variants of the phrase appear roughly 150 to 200 times, with the vast majority heavily concentrated in the prophetic corpus.

 

[cv5]

Thanks! Even I missed the subtlety of Matthew 17:11! It just goes to show us how careful and diligent we need to be when reading scripture!!



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The unequivocal truth of Matt 17:11 et al has already been posted numerous times.
The CT's and RT's and amils cannot even get to verse 12 without blowing a doctrinal gasket.

 

[Revelation1v8]

The unequivocal truth of Matt 17:11 et al has already been posted numerous times.
The CT's and RT's and amils cannot even get to verse 12 without blowing a doctrinal gasket.

It just goes to show how we can read some verses over and over again and it might be the 20th time before it jumps out at us and catches our attention. That's why we're encouraged to read our Bible daily.

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