The Return of
Elijah
1. By what name did Jesus refer to John the
Baptist?
Matthew 11:13-16 (Malachi 3:1; Matthew
17:11-13)
11:13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until
John.
11:14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias [Elijah], which was for to come.
11:15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
2. Was John the Baptist really
Elijah?
John 1:19-21 (1 Corinthians
15:45)
1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent
priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
1:20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am
not the Christ.
1:21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am
not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
3. If John the Baptist was not really
Elijah, why was he given that title?
Luke 1:17 (Matthew
3:1-3)
1:17 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.
4. Does the work of some messengers from
the Lord include more than what the word “prophet”
signifies?”
Luke 7:26-28 (1 Corinthians
12:28)
7:26 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and
much more than a prophet.
7:27 This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my
messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
7:28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of
women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least
in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
5. 5. Elijah, like John the Baptist, did not
write a book of the Bible. He was a “reformation” prophet, sent to bring the
people back to the true worship of God. What was Elijah’s message
?
1 Kings 18:21 (Isaiah
58:1)
18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said,
How long halt ye between
two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow
him. And the people answered him not a
word.
6. What had Israel forsaken that demanded a
reformation?
1 Kings 18:17-18 (Nehemiah 9:13-16; 13:17-18; Daniel
9:10-11)
18:17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab
said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
18:18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but
thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of
the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.
7. Today the Christian world is trampling
on God’s Sabbath and forsaking His commandments, just as Israel was doing in
Elijah‘s day.
Will God again send another
trumpet-like message calling upon people to choose between God and the “Beast,”
as Elijah called Israel to choose between God and Baal
?
Revelation 14:6-12 (Revelation
18:1-5)
14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to
preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and
tongue, and people,
14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him;
for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and
earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that
great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her
fornication.
14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and
his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of
the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his
indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence
of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever
and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his
image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
8. Will God send another “Elijah-prophet”
to go along with this “Elijah” message of Revelation
14?
Malachi 4:5 (Revelation 6:17)
4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
6:17 For the great day of his wrath is
come; and who shall be able to
stand?
Though John the Baptist partially
fulfilled this prophecy, the “great and dreadful day of the Lord” is
specifically the second coming of Jesus, and finds its major fulfillment then.
Another messenger of the Lord will come to do two things: 1) To prepare God’s
people to give His final message to the world, and 2) to help them be ready for
His second coming, as John the Baptist prepared a people for the first coming
of Jesus.
9. How long has God promised to continue
sending prophets to His people?
Ephesians 4:11-13 (John
16:12-13)
4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and
some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for
the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
4:13 Till we all come in the unity of
the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the
measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
We have not yet come to “the fullness of
Christ.” That is yet in the future (1 John 3:2; Revelation 3:21; 14:1, 12;
19:7-8; 22:11-12; 2 Peter 3:14).
10. Jesus warned against false prophets, but
did He say there would be no more prophets of any
kind?
Matthew 7:15-17, 20 (1 John
4:1)
7:15 Beware of false
prophets, which come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
7:16 Ye shall know them by their
fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns,
or figs of thistles?
7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit;
but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know
them.
Why would Jesus tell us to test the
prophets (instead of reject them), if there were not to be any more true
prophets?
11. What test does the Bible give to help us
differentiate between true and false prophets of any
kind?
Isaiah 8:20 (Hebrews 13:8; James 1:17; Malachi
3:6)
8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not
according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
12. While the Bible warns against accepting
false prophets, it also warns against rejecting true prophets. What warning does
Paul give about quenching the Holy
Spirit?
1 Thessalonians
5:19-21
(2 Peter 1:21; 2 Chronicles 20:20;
Matthew 10:40-41)
5:19 Quench not the Spirit.
5:20 Despise not
prophesyings.
5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that
which is good.
After testing a prophet we are to hold
fast to the good (for Satan always tries to discredit God’s messengers and
causes us to lose faith in them). Let us not sin against, and quench, the
Holy Spirit by despising
prophecies.
13. Though but few accepted them, God sent
reformation prophets to prepare a people for the flood, to save the northern
kingdom of Israel, and to prepare for the first coming of Jesus. He has promised to do so again before His second coming.
What has God promised NOT to
do?
Amos 3:7 (Hosea
12:13)
3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his
servants the prophets
We must check out anyone who claims to be a prophet.
A few years ago when I was at the trial in Miami, a man came up to me and said,
"I am a prophet." I do not scoff at anybody who claims to be a prophet, because
the Lord could send us a prophet at any time. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says,
“Prove all things; hold fast
that which is good.”
So when this man told me that he was a prophet, I had
some questions. If you, or I or anybody said, "I believe that the Lord has sent
me the gift of prophecy," we should be checked out by the Scriptures to see
whether we meet the tests of a prophet.
Tests of a True Prophet
1. If a person is a
true prophet, they will tell the truth. The Bible says that it is impossible for
God to lie. They will make predictions that come true, according to Jeremiah
28:9.
28:9 The prophet which prophesieth of peace,
when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, [then] shall the prophet be
known, that the LORD hath truly sent him.
2. A true prophet will
prophesy in the Lord’s name. 2 Peter
1:21.
1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by
the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy
Ghost.
3. A
true prophet will not give some private interpretation of Scripture. 2 Peter
1:20.
1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of
the scripture is of any private
interpretation.
4. A true
prophet will point out the sins of the people of God. Isaiah 58:1. If a person
is a true prophet, they will not just come to you with some lovey-dovey message
and never tell you about your character defects, which need to be changed. That
is a hard test for many so-called prophets to
pass.
58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice
like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob
their sins.
5.
A true prophet will warn God’s people of coming
judgment. Isaiah 24:20, 21 would be one
example.
24:20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a
drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof
shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
24:21 And it shall come to pass in that day,
[that] the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones [that are] on high, and
the kings of the earth upon the earth.
6.
A true prophet will build up, or edify, the
church. They will not tear it apart. 1 Corinthians 14:3,
4.
14:3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men
[to] edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
14:4 He that speaketh in an [unknown] tongue
edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the
church.
7.
A true prophet will teach in harmony with
preceding prophets and with the Law of God. Isaiah 8:20 says, "To the law and to
the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word,…there is no light in
them." This is one of the most important ones of all, and many so-called
prophets cannot pass this test.
8.
A true prophet will recognize the incarnation that
Jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh. 1 John 4:1-3. This is an exceedingly
important test, also. Many so-called prophets cannot pass this one
either.
4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but
try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone
out into the world.
4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every
spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that
Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of
antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is
it in the world.
9.
A true prophet will not lead people into some kind
of fanaticism, some crazy idea that you find out too late has ruined your
health, or your family, or something else in your life. They must have good
fruit. When you listen to what a true prophet says, you will have good results
in your life. Let me give you a quick example.
Sometime past there was a person, I do not know if this
person actually claimed to have the prophetic gift, but they professed to have a
special message from God for His people. They went around to different churches
in the West Coast of the United States, then moved eastward. Wherever they went,
one of the things we began to notice was that families would break up. Wives
would be leaving their husbands, and they would follow this man here and there.
When I saw that, I said, "That man is not a true prophet. It is not good fruit.
A true prophet does not go around breaking up families in God’s church." Jesus
said that a true prophet would bear good fruit. (See Matthew
7:15-20.)
10. A true Bible prophet must have visions and
dreams—period. That is what the Bible says. "Then He said, [This is God speaking
to Aaron and Miriam.] ‘Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I,
the Lord, make Myself known to Him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream.’"
Numbers 12:6. Notice, if anyone claims to be a prophet, the Lord says if he or
she is really a prophet He will make Himself manifest to that person. How? In a
vision and in a dream.
Now what happens to a prophet when they are in vision?
The book of Daniel gives us a fuller description of a prophet in vision than any
other place in the Bible, although there are a few other descriptions. The most
complete description of a prophet in vision is in Daniel 10:7. Daniel gives the
record of this vision. He says, "And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the
men that were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them,
so that they fled to hide themselves."
So the other men realized that something supernatural
was happening. That is what occurs when a prophet is in vision. Other people in
the room realize that something supernatural is happening. What is this
supernatural thing? Look what it says in Daniel 10:8. "…I saw this great vision,
and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I
retained no strength."
Continuing in verse 9 we read, "Yet I heard the sound of
his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my
face, with my face to the ground. Suddenly, a hand touched me.…" Then he
receives instruction from the angel about the latter day; and then it says, "And
suddenly, one having the likeness of the sons of men [That is Jesus Christ.]
touched my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke, saying to Him who stood
before me, ‘My Lord, because of the vision my sorrows have overwhelmed me, and I
have retained no strength. For how can this servant of my Lord talk with you, my
Lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now, nor is any breath left in me.’"
Daniel 10:16, 17.
Friends, A Prophet in Vision, Does not
Breathe.
15. Who only will recognize the voice of Jesus
when He speaks through someone He has called to be His
messenger?
John 10:27 (John 7:17; 8:31-32;
14:16-18)
10:27
My sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me:
10:28
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall
never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
10:29
My Father, which gave them me, is greater than
all; and no man is able to pluck them out of
my
Father's hand.
Friends, will you determine, by God’s help,
to walk so close to Jesus that you will be able to recognize, and be willing to
accept, the voice of a messenger from Him—even a prophetic
messenger?
This study has shown us that our Lord has
promised that He will send us what we need to be brought unto the fullness of
Him. This includes prophets. We have learned that God will send another
prophet with the Elijah message to prepare a people for His second coming, just
as He sent John the Baptist.
We have learned that the Elijah
message for our time is found in Revelation 14:6-12… the Three Angel’s Messages,
and these messages will be proclaimed by God’s true end time church. So, this end time church will have a
prophet (that passes all biblical tests), this church will be proclaiming this
end time Elijah message… the Three Angel’s Messages of Revelation 14, this
church will be keeping all of God’s commandments (including the 4th… Sabbath)
AND have the faith of Jesus.
If you want to be a member of God’s
true church… look for a church that has all of these Biblical qualifications and
become a member. If you are attending a church that is not
meeting these Biblical qualifications, it is not God’s true church. Remember, Jesus said “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them,
and they follow me.”