The gospel truth is, According to the BIBLE, there is not a single OT prophecy of Elijah to come that was not fulfilled by John the Baptist.
John the baptizer was sent from God as a
We know that to "John", he was "John", he was the son of Zacharias. Who did Jesus say he was!
Mat 17:10-13 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elijah truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elijah 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. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.
Mat 11:12-15 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elijah, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Who was this man, that there was war in heaven from the day he was born!?
Matthew 11:7 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?
Mat 11:8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
Mat 11:9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
*Mat 11:10 For this is he, of whom it is written, "Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee".
Isa 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.
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*Malachi 4:5-6 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction."
What was said Elijah would do is exactly what the angel of the Lord told John the Baptist's parents their son John would do, "in the spirit and power of Elijah"!:
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Luke 1:13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John...
Luke 1:16-17 "And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared."
As the angel revealed, It was the "Spirit" of Elijah that was to come, not the flesh of Elijah! As Jesus revealed, John was the Elijah who was to come! So it is the complete fulfillment, but in Spirit, not the flesh. In the flesh, he was "John", in reality, in the Spirit, he was Elijah! He was sent from God to prepare the way for the LORD, and to warn his people to repent because the kingdom of God was at hand. His people were idol worshipers, and God wanted them back, they were falling away.
We know that to "John", he was "John", he was the son of Zacharias. John the Baptist did know this, he knew that it was he of whom this was written:
John 1:23 He said, "I am a voice crying in the wilderness:" "Make straight" "the way of the Lord," as Isaiah the prophet said. [ Isa. 40:3 ]
Isa 40:1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
Isa 40:2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD's hand double for all her sins.
Isa 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.
Think of the "desert" as Judea in the first century, a wasteland with no shepherd, and the "highway" as the gospel of the kingdom of God which John the baptiser was sent from God to prepare God's people to receive, that same gospel preached by one who was to come after John the baptiser, the LORD Jesus....
Matthew 3:1-3 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.* For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. [Isaiah 40:3]
Mark 1:14-15 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Now I love talking about John the baptist! My cousin and I were visioning John standing by a river, as the Roman Army peeled toward him, not moving an inch, and the commander falling backwards! We imagined John saying, "Get up, whom do you seek?", and with a motion of his hand, the commander saying "we have appeared at the wrong place at the wrong time, sorry mister!"
But of course that is not something John would have wanted to brag about! Or the Roman Army! He was very humble, and knew where the power resided. Jesus said that among men, never had a greater man ever been born, but that he who is least in the kingdom of God is even greater than he!
This is because, we are born into a promise! John was sent to witness this promise!
This high court and kingdom of God was established by Jesus the Christ, made high priest of God, the groom of a new Israel born of a new Jerusalem. She is the mother of us all, the bride of Christ, and the general assembly of His Church. These are the true seeds of Abraham, born of spirit, not flesh, born of a promise, not in bondage, but born free, free as the wind blows, as free as the grass grows, as the sands of the sea.
"I was 'born again', born of Christ and His bride", This is something no OT prophet can say! Glory to the King! So that would seem to make us greater than many an OT saint, in the kingdom of God that is!
So who was this "John the Baptist"? The Word has spoken:
Mat 11:9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
Mat 11:10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
Mat 11:11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Mat 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
Mat 11:13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
Mat 11:14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elijah, which was for to come.
Mat 11:15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
This is my testimony to you all, may the Holy Spirit bear witness as the Holy angels of God have decreed; In a land called Judea, in a city called Bethlehem, the city of David, unto us, a King was born! He was born to establish His kingdom, and He did! Jesus is the King of heaven and earth and reigns in a tabernacle not made by the hand of men, but the hand of God! He is King because He has received His kingdom, and He reigns!
As for the Christ Son of God who was sent, and His generation, after the cleansing of Jerusalem, what was getting old was put off, and redemption followed. The putting away of this former arrangement was to signify the end of that age. There was a new age to come, a new age in Christ. A complete and total pardon was given to his people, all mankind, and a new covenant was established with a new Israel. A new Jerusalem was established, a new kingdom of God that will not dwell within things made by the hands of men, but within mankind, God dwelling among and within mankind, those who will have Him and are pleasing Him.
This is heavy stuff, I know, and when you begin to see that the "last days" were in the first century, you will see it all over. This raises many questions, I know. All the answers are within the Holy Bible, go there for answers, not anywhere else. Pray for understanding, cry out for truth and mercy, just stay close to the Father, because every day like that is a good day!
What Now?
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
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