Malachi 4:5

"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible days of Jehovah come."

"Elijah ..." Did this mean that Elijah who was "caught up" to the Lord, and who therefore, apparently did not die, -that he would return to prepare the way before the Lord? (2 Kings 2:1-12). Of course, the Jews generally understood this to mean that the same Elijah the Tishbite would be the one who returned. There was a strong tradition among the Jews that continues to the present day, to the effect that the literal, self-same Elijah the Tishbite, would in time return. The Feast of Purim among the Jews until this day sets a plate, goblet, and empty chair for "Elijah"; and so the myth is perpetuated. The LXX, notoriously wrong in many instances, actually translated this place, "I will send you Elias the Tishbite." That is not what God said, nor is it what God meant.

The Septuagint (LXX) introduction of a literal identification with Elijah the Tishbite into this promise of God's sending "Elijah the prophet" was but another example of how the Jews had "improved on the Word of God" to compel its conformation with their interpretations and prejudices. We may be certain that when the Pharisee sent to inquire of John the Baptist if he was "Elijah," that they presented the question in terminology that identified him as the Tishbite; for, at least, that is the question that John the Baptist answered, saying, "I am not" (John 1:21). The Jewish religious hierarchy had accepted that false interpretation of a literal return of Elijah for over four centuries before Christ came; and this shows that wrong interpretations long "accepted" are still, nevertheless, wrong. However, the religious "false shepherds" of Israel were without excuse for their error.

(1) An angel of God had appeared in the temple, breaking a four-century absence of any such wonder. The angel had appeared to Zacharias from the right hand side of the altar of incense saying:

"Thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John ... He shall be great in the sight of the Lord ... He shall go before his face in the Spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to walk in the wisdom of the just; to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him" (Luke 1:13-17).

If there had been any spiritual discernment whatever among the whole roster of Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, scribes, and Elders of Israel, - if they had possessed the slightest degree of spiritual perception, they would instantly have recognized John, the son of Zachariah and Elizabeth, as the divinely appointed fulfillment of this remarkably specific promise in Malachi. Elijah would be, not the literal Tishbite, but a new personality going forth "in the spirit and power of Elijah." Note that the very terminology of Malachi was quoted by an angel of God, "hearts of the fathers to the children," etc. Of course, this divine revelation was rejected out of hand by the Pharisees, because it contradicted their literal view that the Tishbite was meant. Nevertheless, as Keil said:

"This address of the angel gives an authentic explanation of Malachi 4:5,6: the words, "and the heart' of the children to the fathers" being omitted, as implied in the turning of the heart of the fathers to the children, and the explanatory words, "and the unbelieving to the wisdom of the just," being introduced in their place."[13]

(2) John the Baptist himself adopted the very type of clothing worn by Elijah the Tishbite, the raiment of camel's hair, and a leather thong around his waist, indicating that John himself was fully conscious of his identity with Elijah prophesied by Malachi. It was a clever bit of maneuvering on the part of the Pharisees to extract from John the Baptist the words, "I am not"; and the only way that could have been accomplished was for their question to have made an affirmative answer impossible, asking, "Are you Elijah the Tishbite?" If those ancient hypocrites had looked upon John with honor, had received the baptism that he preached, and had paid strict attention to the very clothing that he wore, to say nothing of the words of an angel of heaven, they would instantly have known that he was that "Elijah which was to come."

(3) The testimony of Christ that John the Baptist was indeed "that Elijah which was to come" (Matthew 17:12,13) was within a few years certainly, and much earlier probably, available to the Pharisees; but they even refused that testimony, and have continued till this day "the empty chair" routine at the annual feast of Purim!

(4) The Pharisees knew that, "The Son of David," whom they expected to ascend the throne of the literal David in Jerusalem, would nevertheless not be "the literal David," but another of his posterity and in his likeness. It is true that there were differences in the situations as regarded Elijah and David; but the principle of two distinct personalities being stamped with a single designation was one with which they were already familiar; and they should have had no trouble at all applying it to the two Elijah's, (1) the Tishbite, and (2) the son of Zecharias.

(5) Jesus doubtless knew that the literal view of the Tishbite's returning to earth would continue to be advocated and used by Satan throughout history; and, therefore, Jesus Christ presided over a literal return of Elijah on the mountain of transfiguration, in which event Moses and Elijah met Jesus upon the holy mountain and carried on a conversation with him in the hearing of Peter, James, and John. Whether or not the Pharisees knew of this until afterward is immaterial. They surely learned of it eventually. "That Elijah" promised by Malachi was John the Baptist.

If one thinks it is a mystery why the Pharisees did not understand this, let him try to explain why a scholar like Smith would exclaim: "There is no warrant for going beyond what is written here and refusing to accept the language at its face value!"[14] The reason for such a view lies in the adamant fundamentalism of liberal scholars in all scriptural passages where a literal view contradicts spiritual truth. It was this spirit which denied the death of Jairus' daughter on the grounds that Jesus had said, "She is not dead, but sleepeth." (See a full discussion of the disease of "Fundamentalism Among Liberals" in my commentary on James-Jude, p. 289.)

"Before the great and terrible day of Jehovah ..." Deane did not identify the messenger "Elijah" of Malachi 4:5 with the messenger that was foretold as preceding the "messenger of the Covenant" in Malachi 3:1, giving as the reason the following: "The latter (in Malachi 4:5) comes before the first advent of our Lord, the former appears before the day of judgment."[15] However, there is actually no impediment to receiving the messenger mentioned in Malachi 3:1 as the same messenger mentioned in Malachi 4:5. Peter himself identified, "The day of the Lord, the great and notable day" and "The great and terrible day of Jehovah" (Joel 2:31; Acts 2:17-20) as being the same. That "That DAY" was identified with Pentecost on one occasion (by Peter) and with the final judgment on another (by Malachi) is no problem. The frequent expression in all the Minor Prophets regarding "that day," "the last days," "the latter days," and "in those days," etc ... all pertain to the Messianic Age, that is, all of the time between the first and second Advents of Christ. There is a melding and blending by all prophets of events in the Messianic times which actually are separated by vast intervals of time. Jesus himself continued this characteristic by prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple and the coming of the final judgment with a single set of answers, some portions of which are applicable to one event, some to the other, and some to both alike. (See Matthew 24.)

That the two messengers of Malachi 3:1 and Malachi 4:5 are identical is evident. "The thought in Malachi 4:5 is parallel to that of Malachi 3:1. Prior to the Day of the Lord, a heaven-sent messenger would prepare the way."[16] "The prophet (Elijah) in 4:5 is usually identified with the messenger of Malachi 3:1. Both will appear in order to make preparation for the coming of the Lord to judge his people."[17]