Prophet Elijah
Our association is called Elijah Prophet because we admire the work of the biblical prophet Elijah and believe that the children of God should imitate his example until the coming of Christ.
The prophet Elijah identified the nature of Israel's apostasy: the abandonment of God's commandments and true worship. Elijah was sent to restore Israel's knowledge of the Creator and promote a saving walk with God. Elijah called all Israel, including the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, to meet with him on Mount Carmel. And he asked them the following question:
1 Kings 18:21 Then Elijah came to all the people and said, "How long will you waver between two thoughts? If the LORD is God, follow him; if Baal, go after him. And the people answered not a word.
Elijah then challenged each side to prepare an altar with a bull as a sacrifice. Each side would invoke the name of their deity: "The God who answers and sends fire on the altar, let him be recognized as the true one (v.24). But the cries to Baal proved fruitless. When Elijah's turn came, he first "set about repairing the altar of the Lord, which was in ruins" (vr 30-32). He used twelve stones to represent the unity of the twelve tribes of Israel. Three times he poured water on the altar. Then he stepped forward and prayed to the Lord, asking for God's response, so that all would recognize "that you, O Lord, are God, and that you will cause their heart to return to you" (vr 37) In response, "fire fell from the Lord and consumed the bull that was offered there, and the wood, and the stones, and even the dust". What was the response of the people to God's amazing response?
1 Kings 18:39 When all the people saw it, they fell down and said, "! Jehovah is the God, Jehovah is the God!"
The prophet Malachi announced a messenger who was to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord (3:1). In chapter 4, that messenger is called Elijah (v. 5), and his mission is to turn "the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers" (v. 6), in order to prepare the earth for "the great and dreadful day of the Lord" (v. 5).
In that context, the people of Israel are invited to remember the "law of Moses" (v. 4). Therefore, Malachi's messenger was to link the message of God's law with the coming of the Messiah, who is called "angel of the covenant" (3:1) and "Sun of righteousness" (4:2; Luke 1:76-79) by the prophet.
According to Luke 1:15-17, Malachi's prophecy was partially fulfilled in John the Baptist, who was to carry out his ministry in the spirit and power that characterized Elijah: "And he shall cause many of the children of Israel to turn 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 rebellious to the wisdom of the righteous, to prepare for the Lord a people well disposed."
However, when questioned by the priests and Levites about his identity, John denied being the prophet Elijah and identified himself as the "voice of one crying in the wilderness" (John 1:21-23) which, as already noted, is also related to the work of Malachi's prophetic messenger. Despite denying it, the Baptist dressed like the prophet Elijah (Mark 1:6; 2 Kings 1:8) and also based his speech on Malachi 4 (Luke 3:7, 9; cf. Malachi 4:1).
In Matthew 17:11-13, Jesus confirmed that interpretation, but also presented an interesting nuance in verse 11: "[...] Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has already come [...]."
Before stating that Elijah had already come, Jesus said that the illustrious prophet would still come and "restore" all things. In other words, Jesus was saying that Malachi's prophecy was not limited to the ministry of John the Baptist. Just as there would be two comings of the Messiah, once again the prophetic manifestation of Elijah was to occur. In the future, another messenger was to be raised up to exalt the "law of Moses," prepare a people for "the great and dreadful day of the LORD," and turn "the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers" (Malachi 4:3-6).
As part of the remnant people, God commissioned us to exalt His law and prepare the way for Christ's second coming (Revelation 12:17). The four Gospels tell us how John the Baptist presented the message of preparation for the Messiah's first coming. Revelation, on the other hand, presents the three angels who deliver the final call from heaven to the people ready for Christ's return in glory. The mission of the three angels is not to announce a new super-evangelium, but to restore the eternal gospel in its perfect purity and redemptive power. The three angels' messages found in Revelation 14:6-12 fulfill the function of the end-time Elijah calling people back to the faith of the Bible.