When will Elijah come?
Peter, James, and John stood in amazement when Yeshua was transfigured on the mountain and His face shone like the sun. It was at that time that both Moses and Elijah also appeared with Yeshua on the mountain top. We then read the following dialogue between Yeshua and His disciples in the gospel of Matthew:
As they were coming down from the mountain, Yeshua 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.– Matt. 17:9-13
We know that the disciples had not yet fully received the Holy Spirit at that time and that they only understood in part, however at the same time, they understood that there were certain prophecies which had to be realized in order for the Scriptures to be fulfilled, including the coming of Elijah as a forerunner to the Messiah.
Yeshua explained to His disciples that the prophecy about Elijah had been partially fulfilled through the life of one who had already come and the disciples understood this to mean John the Baptist. We also know that it was prophesied about John the Baptist, before he was even conceived, that he would serve in the spirit and power of Elijah:
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
These are the words of the angel Gabriel as he quoted from the prophet Malachi and spoke to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. Although John the Baptist did come in the spirit and power of Elijah by calling the people to repent and turn to God, the nation as a whole rejected the greater message of Messiah. This is why Yeshua told His disciples: “…Elijah is coming and will restore all things;…”
When will Elijah come to restore all things?
Shabbat HaGadol
This year, Passover will begin on Sunday, March 28, 2021. The Sabbath before Passover is always called Shabbat HaGadol – The Great Sabbath. The main reason that this Sabbath is given this special name is based on the Scriptures found at the end of the book of Malachi:
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. – Malachi 4:5-6 (or 3:23-24)
The rabbis understand these verses to be referring to the time of the end when Messiah will come to judge the world and establish the kingdom of God on earth. Each year for the celebration of Passover, there is always a place prepared for Elijah at the table in expectation that his coming is soon which will usher in the coming of Messiah.
Since the Scriptures clearly tell us that Elijah must come first, there is a certain expectation in Judaism that Elijah will come to prepare the way for the Messiah. This is why the disciples asked Yeshua about the coming of Elijah. First of all, they had just seen Elijah (& Moses) on the mountain top talking with Yeshua and secondly, Yeshua explained to them about His resurrection from the dead. The disciples believed that Yeshua was the Messiah and knew that Elijah had to fit into this timeline in some manner. Yeshua explained that John the Baptist came to fulfill this role but was rejected by men. Therefore, Yeshua also said “…Elijah is coming and will restore all things;…”
When will Elijah come to restore all things?
Is there a yet future coming of Elijah?
The Coming of Elijah
The prophecy about the coming of Elijah in order to restore all things is mysterious. Some theologians speculate that Elijah may be one of the two witnesses who will be on the earth during the time of the Great Tribulation, as referenced in Revelation chapter eleven. This is a good possibility. Whether it will actually be Elijah who comes to earth or someone else who comes in the spirit of Elijah to prepare the people of earth for the Second Coming of Messiah is yet to be seen. The details in the Scriptures regarding Elijah’s coming in the End Times are limited.
The heart of the message of Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord, as spoken both in Malachi chapter four and Luke chapter one, is one of repentance from sin and reconciliation to God and man. This is the message that John the Baptist began to preach 2000 years ago and it is still the message of the gospel today: all of humanity is called to repent of sin and to believe in the Lamb of God who has come to take away the sin of the world.
The Message of Elijah
The message of repentance and reconciliation is a message that really goes back to the beginning and continues throughout the New Testament. The apostle Paul explained to the believers at Corinth the importance of this life changing message which is made clear in the Messiah:
Therefore if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Messiah and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Messiah reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Messiah, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Messiah, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. – 2 Cor. 5:17-21
Whatever our spiritual gifts may be, we are all called to represent the Messiah as ambassadors on His behalf in order to see others reconciled to God.
The Message of Repentance & Reconciliation
In whatever manner the prophecy of Elijah’s coming will be fulfilled before Messiah comes again, we have a responsibility to take this message of repentance and reconciliation to whomever God puts in our path. The season of Passover is a perfect opportunity to share the message of reconciliation to God through the sacrificial blood of the Lamb, to both Jew and Gentile. Instead of focusing on when Elijah will come, let us go forward with the message of Elijah and the revelation that Messiah has come and is coming again so that others may be reconciled to God.
Shabbat Shalom!
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*All Scripture take from NASB Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
**The Hebrew name “Yeshua” is used in the biblical quotations in place of the English name “Jesus” to give emphasis to the meaning of this name, salvation. The word “Messiah” is also used in place of the word “Christ” to bring clarity to the office of Yeshua.
Love it, very helpful, thank you!
excellent