Elijah Must Come

Transcript

GR 704
3/17/1985
Elijah Must Come
Matthew 17:9-13
Gil Rugh

As I study the Scriptures, I am always impressed with the fact that throughout history God has raised up individuals to represent Him, to be dynamic forces making an impact for Him upon each generation. One of the greatest of these individuals in Israel’s history was the prophet Elijah. In fact, he was so great that he resurfaces again and again throughout Israel’s past history and prophecies of its future. In Matthew 17 the disciples’ attention is drawn back to what the Old Testament says about Elijah.
As Jesus and the disciples descended from the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead” (Matt 17:9). In Matthew 16:20, they had already been told that they were no longer to tell the nation Israel that Jesus was the Messiah, because the nation had rejected Him.
Part of the reason for Jesus’ instruction was that the disciples did not understand what He meant when He referred to His own resurrection from the dead. Mark 9:10 says that on this occasion the disciples were discussing among themselves “what rising from the dead meant.” Their concept of the Messiah was still limited to His glory and His kingdom. What happened on the Mount of Transfiguration further solidified this in their minds. So they were puzzled by His talk of death and resurrection from the dead. They did not understand what that had to do with His reigning in glory.
The disciples were forbidden to continue telling the nation that Jesus was the Messiah, because if they went around spreading information about His kingdom and glory, it would only create confusion. There was to be no kingdom at this time, only suffering and death. They were no longer on the verge of the Kingdom; they were on the verge of the cross.
The command not to tell what they saw caused the disciples to raise the question about Elijah. “And His disciples asked Him, ‘Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?’” (Matt. 17:10). They did not understand Christ’s prophecy of death and resurrection from the dead. But they did know that they had seen His glory, the glory that would characterize Him in the Kingdom. They knew they had seen Moses and Elijah as well. But they did not understand how it fit with what the scribes taught, that Elijah must come before the Kingdom could be established.
The issue of Elijah comes up several times throughout the ministry of Christ. He appears in the Bible in four different contexts: first, in the historical setting of the Old Testament, his history and also the prophecy concerning him; second, as he relates to John the Baptist; third as he relates to the two witnesses in Revelation 11; and fourth as he relates to the future of Israel. Some of these passages will be pulled together and put into one package in order to have a concise picture of how Elijah fits into God’s perspective for Israel.
Elijah breaks onto the scene in 1 Kings 17. The first of a string of outstanding prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah, he was perhaps the greatest of the Old Testament prophets until John the Baptist. There is nothing about his birth and background or about his ministry in Israel. But rather, 1 Kings 17 simply begins: “Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab” and his ministry with Ahab is described.
Elijah appeared to Ahab the King who was noted for two things, both of which are bad. One, he was the most godless king of Israel up to that point, more wicked than any of the kings before him. Two, he had an infamous wife, Jezebel. Even today her name is associated with godless, vile women. She introduced Baal worship among the Israelites and was a woman who could put terror into any man’s heart, even the heart of Elijah the prophet.
Elijah arrived on the scene to confront Ahab. The power and awesome character of Elijah is seen in 1 Kings 17:1 as Elijah begins his message to Ahab: “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand.” There was no question about his position as a representative of the God of Israel; what he had to say was a direct message from God.
Elijah’s message from God was this: “There shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word” (v. 1). In other words, “There is not going to be a drop of moisture unless I say so!" Keep in mind, Elijah was not taking credit for this judgment; he had already identified himself as the one who stands before the Lord, the one through whom God speaks.
At that time the land of Palestine was already an arid, desert-like region. Then Elijah appeared to say it would not rain for three and one-half years. And not only that, there wouldn’t even be dew at night to give relief. This judgment of God was going to be a disaster for Israel.
After Elijah confronted Ahab with this message from God, he left on a trip. He was not seen again in Israel for three and one-half years. During this time, God miraculously cared for him. He sent the birds of the air to feed him and ultimately took him to a widow’s house for shelter. Elijah stayed with her, and God multiplied her oil and flour so she could live through this famine as well as provide for the prophet of God.
The widow had a son who became ill and died. Once again the dramatic power of Elijah was displayed. “Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and called to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord my God, I pray You, let this child’s life return to him.’ The Lord heard the voice of Elijah, and the life of the child returned to him and he revived” (1 Kings 17:21,22). God worked through Elijah, even bringing someone back from the dead.
At the end of three and one-half hard years for Israel, God told Elijah to go back. The time had come to bring rain on the nation (1 Kings 18:1).
The thing that impresses me about all of this is how stubborn the unbeliever is in his sinfulness. Elijah had confronted Ahab about his wickedness, but Ahab would not repent. Instead, he was filled with rage because the prophet had stopped the rain. He never paused to consider whether or not Elijah really represented the God who can stop the rain. Not Ahab. His sin had too strong a hold on him. “It came about when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, ‘Is this you, you troubler of Israel?’” (1 Kings 18:17). Note where Ahab put the blame: “You have brought a lot of problems on Israel, Elijah. We are having a severe famine. "
But look at Elijah’s bold response: “He said, ‘I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and you have followed the Baals’” (v. 18). In other words, “Don’t think I have troubled Israel; the trouble in Israel is a result of your own sinfulness. " This showed the courage of Elijah as he boldly stood his ground in the presence of Ahab.

Elijah’s next move was to call for a confrontation with the prophets of Baal: 450 prophets of Baal! Elijah said, “We are going to have a contest, and we are going to build altars. You build your altar, and I will build mine. You will put a sacrifice on your altar, and I will put a sacrifice on mine." After the prophets of Baal were gathered, Elijah said,
“Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, He is God” (1 Kings 18:24). Gentleman that he was, Elijah allowed the prophets of Baal to go first.

So the 450 prophets of Baal got their altar in shape and placed their animal upon it. Then they began to call on Baal. But things did not go well. They got no answer. The power and character of Elijah was shown again in his response: “it came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them” (v. 27). Remember that there were 450 representatives of Baal, supported by the godless king of Israel and his wife. And there was one prophet of God, Elijah, who said to them, “Well men, I think you have a problem. You had better call louder. I don’t think he hears you. " He said, “Either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened” (v. 27). In other words, Elijah mocked them by saying, “Call louder. Maybe he’s occupied. Maybe he has gone to the bathroom. " That is what “going aside” means in the Old Testament! You get the idea that Elijah was making fun of them.
Then the prophets of Baal began cutting themselves in order to get Baal’s attention. “So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them” (v. 28).
Finally Elijah said in effect, “All right, it’s my turn." He got his altar ready, put the sacrifice on it and built a trench around it. “Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, ‘Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood’” (v. 33). Elijah had them dump water on the sacrifice until it was so saturated that it filled the trench around it. He did not want anyone to be able to say it was just a freak accident!
Then Elijah called out, and fire came down from heaven and consumed his sacrifice. The fire then went around the trench and licked up all the water in the trench (see v. 38). “When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, ‘The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God’” (v. 39).
Do you think Elijah was satisfied? No. There was more to come. “Then Elijah said to them, ‘Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.’ So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there” (v. 40). Elijah was not a weakling by any stretch of the imagination!
Elijah then went up on the mountain and prayed for rain and Israel had rain once again (see vv. 42-45). “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours” (James 5:17). That means Elijah was just like you and me. But when he prayed, it did not rain for three and one-half years in Israel. And when he prayed again, it rained. “Well," you say, “that was God’s will." That is right. It is important to recognize that even as mere human beings, we who are believers also have the power of God at our disposal when we pray in submission to Him.
These events have shown what a great man Elijah was. But do you know what happened next? Wicked Jezebel said, “I’m going to do away with Elijah, " and Elijah ran away, scared to death. He even told the Lord it was time for him to go to heaven. Evidently he found it easier to confront 450 prophets of Baal, confront Ahab, raise a dead person to life, stop the rain and start the rain, rather than to face Jezebel. This indicates the wickedness and power of this godless woman. As recorded in 1 Kings 21:23-25, Elijah told Ahab what was going to happen to Jezebel, although he did not confront her personally. Before it was all over, God took Elijah to heaven (see 2 Kings 2).
As 2 Kings begins, Ahab has died. Ahaziah, his son, was reigning in his place. Like father, like son, Ahaziah was godless. One day as He walked to his palace, he fell through some latticework seriously injuring himself. He sent representatives to inquire of one of the Baal gods, Baal-zebub. On their way to inquire of this Baal-god, Elijah intercepted them, saying, “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus says the Lord, ‘You shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but you shall surely die’” (2 Kings 1:3,4). So the messengers turned around and took the message to Ahaziah.
Immediately Ahaziah demanded to know what this man looked like (see v. 7). “They answered him, ‘He was a hairy man with a leather girdle bound about his loins.’ And he said, ‘It is Elijah the Tishbite’” (v. 8). That was all the description Ahaziah needed. He immediately made plans to “get” Elijah for causing first his father’s problems and next his own. “Then the king sent to him (Elijah) a captain of fifty with his fifty” (v. 9). In other words, “Take your fifty soldiers and go get Elijah."

Elijah was propped up on a hilltop enjoying the sunshine when along came this captain and his fifty men. They were going to take him to Ahaziah. “Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, ‘If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty’” (v. 10). Immediately fire came down from heaven and all fifty were zapped. So Ahaziah told another captain to go with his fifty. Again, the same thing, fire came down from heaven and all that was left were ashes.
Ahaziah was not done. “So he again sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty” (v. 13). Well, the third captain was a little nervous. He did not approach Elijah arrogantly as had the first two captains, but “he came and bowed down on his knees before Elijah, and begged him and said to him ‘O man of God, please let my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight’” (v. 13).
This captain was caught between a rock and a hard place. If he said to Ahaziah, “I’m not going out there and talk to Elijah, ” Ahaziah would kill him. But if he went out and told Elijah, “You get down here. We are going to see Ahaziah, ” he would be burned up with fire. So he did the only thing he could do: he cast himself on the mercy of the prophet of God. And following that kind of proper attitude toward God, God told Elijah, “All right, spare him and you go with him. ” So Elijah went with him and told Ahaziah he would die in his bed because he had worshiped Baal instead of looking to God for help.
The last thing the Old Testament records about Elijah’s history is his being taken to heaven. “Then it came about as they were going along and talking, that behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven” (2 Kings 2:11). Note that Elijah did not go to heaven in a chariot, in spite of what the song says! A chariot separated Elijah from Elisha, and Elijah went to heaven in a whirlwind. So Elijah is unique. He is one of only two individuals in the entire Old Testament who never experienced physical death. The other was Enoch in Genesis 5:24.
This was the end of the earthly ministry of Elijah. His power and the impact of his life on the nation Israel during this godless period of Israel’s history are recorded in 1 and 2 Kings.
In Malachi 4:4-6 the ministry of Moses and the ministry of Elijah are joined together: “Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. 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.” This is the prophecy that forms the basis for the teaching of the scribes found in the New Testament that Elijah must come before the Messiah in order to turn the people to Him. It is this prophecy which is foundational to all that the New Testament says about Elijah.
At the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist, the angel told his father: “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” (Luke 1:16,17). In other words, John the Baptist would come in the spirit and power of Elijah to do what Malachi 4 said Elijah would do.
In John 1:19-21, John the Baptist was asked, “Who are you?” He replied, “I am not the Christ.” He was then asked, “Are you Elijah?” And John answered. “No.” In light of other events, John must have meant, “I am not the physical Elijah from the Old Testament come back to earth, ” though he had a ministry similar to Elijah’s. In Matthew 11, Jesus said concerning John: “And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come” (v. 14). Note that Jesus made it conditional: If you will accept the truth concerning Me, that I am the Messiah, then John the Baptist can fulfill the prophecy of Malachi.
Remember the original question in Matthew 17? “And His disciples asked Him (Jesus), ‘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’” (vv. 10-12). At that point the disciples understood that He had been speaking about John the Baptist. So the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy could have taken place in John the Baptist, but because the Jews rejected both the ministry of John and the ministry of Jesus, Malachi’s prophecy could not be fulfilled.
This passage makes it clear that there is a future dimension to the prophecy of Malachi 4. “Elijah is coming and will restore all things” (Matt. 17:11). Just as there was one who would fulfill that prophecy at the first coming of Christ, so there will be one to fulfill that prophecy at the Second Coming of Christ.
This raises a question about the two witnesses written about in the Book of Revelation. What is the relationship of Elijah the prophet to the two witnesses in Revelation 11? The Book of Revelation deals with the time after the Rapture of the Church which will be followed by the seven-year Tribulation on the earth when God will prepare the nation Israel to accept Christ as the Messiah.
The seven-year Tribulation is broken into two equal segments of three and one-half years. In Revelation 11:1,2 the temple is measured, but the court of the temple is not. It has been trampled underfoot for forty-two months, or three and one-half years. In other words, for the last three and one-half years of the Tribulation, there will be persecution and attempted annihilation of the nation Israel. These verses indicate that by the middle of the seven-year Tribulation, the temple will have been rebuilt in Israel. Whether they start construction before the Rapture of the Church or afterwards, it is not clear. But by the mid-point of the Tribulation, the temple will have been rebuilt and will be trampled underfoot, because the antichrist and his forces will turn against the Jews and attempt to annihilate them. The antichrist will then set himself up in the temple as God which is referred to in 2 Thessalonians 2:3,4.
It is in this setting that the two witnesses appear, “And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth” (Rev. 11:3). Twelve hundred and sixty days is three and one-half years. In Scripture a prophetic year is rounded off to three hundred and sixty days.
These two witnesses will prophesy on the earth for three and one-half years. There is some discussion as to whether this is the first half of the Tribulation or the second. There are arguments supporting both sides. The reference to forty-two months in Revelation 11:2 refers to the last half of the Tribulation, and that seems to indicate that the two witnesses will also function during that period. But Malachi refers to Elijah coming before the great and terrible day of the Lord, indicating that the witnesses will prophesy in the first three and one-half years before the Great Tribulation which happens in the last three and one-half years. I lean toward the first three and one-half years, although I can live with either. Most commentators put the two witnesses in the first half of the Tribulation.
Revelation 11:4-6 gives something of a description of the two witnesses drawn from the Old Testament. The character of their ministry is the same as that of several Old Testament individuals. In Zechariah 4, two men, Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel, the civil governor or leader, are represented as the two olive trees and the two lampstands. This same symbolism is carried over to the two witnesses in Revelation 11:4: “These are the two olive trees and the two
lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.”
Their power is described in Revelation 11:5: “And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies.” This is not a literal fire that comes out of their mouth, but they speak the word and their persecutors are devoured by fire. Who does this remind you of? Elijah, of course, in 2 Kings 1.
Revelation 11:6 goes on, “These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying.” How long will the witnesses prophesy? Three and one-half years. This is very similar to Elijah’s ministry.
Note the last part of verse 6: “They have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.” Who turned water into blood? Moses. Who smote the earth with every plague as often as he desired? Moses. (See Exodus 7-12)
At the end of their ministry, the two witnesses are executed. Their bodies will lay in the streets of Jerusalem for three and one-half days, and it will be as if all the world will see it; perhaps it will be broadcast by satellite around the world. People could be watching the evening news and the cameras would show the two bodies lying in the street to prove that they have been overcome. This may be a display of the power of the antichrist as the only one who is able to overcome these two.
Why will the world hate and oppose them? For the same reason it hated and opposed the ministries of Elijah, John the Baptist and Jesus Christ Himself. They proclaim the truth of God, and the unbeliever is obstinately set against the truth of God.
So the world will be glad when they are dead. In fact, the people will give gifts to one another in celebration of the death of these two individuals (Rev. 11:7-10). But at the end of three and one-half days, they will be raised up from the earth. While the world would be waiting for the process of decay to set in, all of a sudden, the two witnesses will stand up, leave earth and go to heaven. At that same hour, there will be a great earthquake in Jerusalem (vv. 11-13).
Now who are these two witnesses? They are identified with Joshua and Zerubbabel in Zechariah 4, but they will have the same kind of ministry as Elijah and Moses. Not many commentators suggest that they will be Joshua and Zerubbabel come back to life, even though the connection is very close. Usually commentators mention either Elijah and Moses or Elijah and Enoch, the latter being the only two people who did not experience physical death. In support of Elijah and Enoch, some commentators point to Hebrews 9:27 which says, “It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.” So if Enoch and Elijah come back to earth and suffer physical death, then everyone will have suffered physical death up until the Rapture of the Church.
This is a possibility, but it should be pointed out that Hebrews 9 is giving a general principle. While “it is appointed for men to die once,” there will be a whole host of believers who will escape death through the Rapture. So the fact that Enoch would be an exception to Hebrews 9 does not create a problem any more than the Rapture of the Church does. Enoch is not really associated with the ministry of Israel anyway because he predates Israel’s existence, although the Book of Jude says that one of the aspects of Enoch’s ministry was to prophesy about the coming of the Lord.
Elijah and Moses are suggested because of the similarity of their ministry to the ministry of the two witnesses in Revelation 11, and because they are together with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration in Matthew 17.
Is Elijah, then, one of the two witnesses resurrected and brought back to life during the Tribulation? In light of what the Scriptures say, probably not. I do believe there is a future coming of one who will be raised up by God on the earth in the spirit and power of the prophet Elijah, as was John the Baptist. But I tend to think that the two witnesses of Revelation 11 are simply two individuals who will be raised up by God at that point in time.
Consider this: If Malachi’s prophecy required a physical return of the Old Testament prophet Elijah, it is difficult to understand how John the Baptist could in any way have been a possible fulfillment of that. Yet Jesus said that if the nation would respond and believe, Elijah had come: John would fulfill the prophecy. The reason the prophecy was not fulfilled in John is not because he was not the literal Elijah, but because the nation would not accept it. To me that seems to indicate that “the return of Elijah” refers to one who comes in the spirit and power of Elijah, which explains why there are a variety of identifications given. These two witnesses will be men who stand in the Tribulation and represent God, carrying on the tradition, if you will, of those powerful servants of God in the Old Testament.
After the Rapture of the Church, there will be no believers on the face of the earth. All believers will have been bodily removed, and the world will be comprised one hundred percent of unbelievers. At that time God could take hold of two individuals and draw them to Himself and empower them to represent Him. If they witness during the first three and one-half years of the Tribulation, it could be through their ministry that the 144,000 Jews are converted and sealed by God to survive the Tribulation.
It would seem that the two witnesses do have some connection to Elijah and the prophecy of Elijah, but this does not mean that a literal Elijah will return to earth. Just as the first coming of Christ was preceded by one in the spirit and power of Elijah, so the second coming of Christ will be preceded by one who comes in the spirit and power of Elijah. However, the ministry of this second Elijah will be more effective among the people of the nation Israel. If it occurs during the first three and one-half years, it will result in the conversion of at least 144,000 Israelites. If it happens during the second half of the Tribulation, it will be instrumental in the turning of the nation in its entirety to the Messiah. God’s prophecies will be fulfilled. It will come about as He said, and Elijah will prepare the way.
The thing the disciples did not understand in Matthew 17 was how this fit with Christ’s glory which they saw on the Mount of Transfiguration. So Jesus told them again at the end of Matthew 17:12: “So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Elijah is coming. The Son of Man is coming. But rejection, crucifixion, resurrection and a delay of the kingdom will be followed by the coming of Elijah and the second return of Christ to earth for the establishing of the Kingdom.
At the heart of God’s entire program is the provision of redemption for His people. God’s plan is to provide salvation and forgiveness of sins and cleansing for sinful beings-Jews and Gentiles alike-to be accomplished through the payment of the penalty for sin, which is death.
Therefore, to create a redeemed people who will be part of the Kingdom that He will establish, God’s Son had to suffer and die. God saved Abraham two thousand years before Jesus Christ came to earth. But God could save Abraham because Jesus Christ was coming to earth to pay the penalty for sins. Today God offers salvation to those who respond to the message of the finished work of His Son Jesus Christ. That payment which was made for sins is adequate to cleanse all who will place their confidence and faith in God for their salvation.
It is amazing that rather than accept the love and mercy of God and the message of life and hope, people resist and become more firm in their rejection. But it simply reveals how sinful human beings really are. The world is moving towards God’s appointed climax-judgment and condemnation for those who continue in unbelief, but hope of glory for those who have believed in His Son Jesus Christ. Yet most people are not willing to acknowledge that God is right, that they are sinners in need of forgiveness and cleansing.
As believers we face the same kind of situation that Elijah faced in the Old Testament, that John faced during his ministry, and that the two witnesses will face in their ministry. As the children of God, we are entrusted with the message of God. We have the power of God operating in and through us. We have the potential residing within us to represent and serve Jesus Christ and to be used of God in accomplishing His purposes through prayer. We are to confront a sinful people who do not like to be confronted with the truth of the Word of God. Yet only through the mercy and grace of God can the ministry of the Word break down obstinate unbelievers and bring people to salvation.