Both John and YAHSHUA were killed at the hands of His own people and the Gentile nation of Rome. John the precursor of YAHSHUA was a unique man. The Bible says that he was the voice of one crying aloud in the wilderness. Prepare the way of the Lord…His father Zachariah was told before John was born that he shall to be called a prophet of the Most High; for He shall go on before the face of the Lord to make ready His ways, to bring and give the knowledge of salvation to His people in the forgiveness and remission of their sins… And the little boy (John) grew and became strong in spirit; and he was in the deserts until the day of his appearing to Israel (Luke 1:76-77,80).
John’s authority when preaching, was like that of YAHSHUA’S with boldness and with no respect of people’s position. So much so, that he ended up in jail and later beheaded, for standing for righteousness and truth, while fulfilling his duty of a prophet like no other. YAHSHUA said that all the prophets and the Law prophesized until John, or until now; from that time, the kingdom of God is preached…. (Luke 16:16). John’s preaching of the kingdom of God was the fulfillment of the Law and the prophets. Isaiah prophesized about John when he said, The voice of one crying in the desert…. Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the wilderness the paths of our God (Isaiah 4:3). John prepared the way for the Lord by preaching about repentance and forgiveness; He was looking at YAHSHUA as the Lamb of God, Who, through the shedding of His blood, was going to take away the sins of the world, through repentance and forgiveness. At the cross, John’s message was fulfilled, accomplishing his role as Elijah, who prepared the way for the Lord YAHSHUA, at His first coming.
Elijah, a prophet for all times, was a hairy man with a girdle of leather about his loins (II Kings 1:8). He reminds us of John’s way of dressing. Elijah, was a man of great faith and courage, living solely to serve God, depending on His provisions, in order to accomplish God’s purpose of judgment for the nation of Israel. He was fed by angels on one occasion and on another time by ravens, in a supernatural life style of a prophet. A prophet who stood before God, Elijah brought complete destruction to the false prophets of Baal and Asherah, killing all 850 of them (I Kings 18). No compromise for Elijah. He was one of the witnesses that came to the Mount of Transfiguration and discussed YAHSHUA’S exit from the earth with Him. He was translated to heaven without experiencing death, but will return to fulfill Malachi’s prophecy for the end time: Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. And he shall turn and reconcile the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse and a ban of utter destruction (4:5,6). The realization of this prophecy is found in Revelation chapter 11:3-13. These two witnesses will be given power to shut up the sky, so that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying; and they also have power to turn the waters into blood and to smite and scourge the earth with the manner of plagues as often as they choose (Vs.6). Many believe they to be Moses and Elijah, Moses for having to do with the Egypt’s plagues and Elijah for having to do with the shutting up of the sky in his days so that rain did not fall. They represent the Law and the prophets, through which prophetic utterances concerning all prophecies found in the Bible were made. They were very much part of the fulfillment of God’s future plan for the nation of Israel and the world.
So, Elijah truly is a Prophet for All times.
Light from the Word 