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The solution of the problem of John the Baptist and Elijah, contains a
principle that is of great dispensational importance. When questioned, John
said that he was not Elijah, yet Christ in answer to the disciples' question
said that he was. As there can be no contradiction between one part of
inspired truth and another, there must be something beneath the surface that,
when brought to light, will not only bring these two statements into line,
but will also shed light on other apparent contradictions and provide us with
a principle of interpretation.
The last of the prophets, Malachi, anticipated the dual ministry of the
two forerunners of the Messiah, John the Baptist and Elijah. (The name
Malachi means `My messenger').
`Behold, I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before
Me' (Mal. 3:1).
`The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; as it is
written in the prophets, Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face,
which shall prepare Thy way before Thee ... John did baptize in the
wilderness' (Mark 1:1-4).
`John ... sent two of his disciples ... Jesus began to say ...
concerning John ... this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send
My messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee'
(Matt. 11:2-10).
With these passages before us, we cannot avoid seeing that in Malachi
3:1, John the Baptist is in view, yet when we read on, we are conscious of
the conflicting fact that verse 2 introduces a very different atmosphere from
that
of the four Gospels and John's day. Let us notice the language:
`But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He
appeareth? ... He shall purify the sons of Levi ... then shall the
offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the
days of old, and as in former years' (Mal. 3:2-4).
This passage most surely speaks of the Second Coming of Christ, yet it
is closely associated with John the Baptist. In Malachi 4:1,2 we read:
`For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the
proud ... shall be stubble ... but unto you that fear My name shall the
Sun of righteousness arise with healing in His wings'.
Here there is close association with another messenger and forerunner,
namely, Elijah:
`Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the
great and dreadful day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the
fathers to the children ... lest I come and smite the earth with a
curse' (Mal. 4:5,6).
What, then, is the connection between these two personages and the two
comings? Turning to the New Testament we shall find that the two messengers
are intimately related. When the birth of John the Baptist was announced to
his father Zacharias, the angel said of John, `Many of the children of Israel
shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before Him in the