Instead, John was acting like Elijah in preparing the way of the Lord but in this way was only a type (or symbol of) Elijah coming in the last days. This connection is evident in Luke 1, in which his birth is announced. "This is Elias" John the Baptist - Christian Doctrine What did John the Baptist confess in verse 20? The Mission of John the Baptist … 24 Then the Pharisees who had been sent 25 asked him, "Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" 26 "I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands One you do not know.… By indicating that John the Baptist would go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, Gabriel was . Was John the Baptist Elijah? | Christian Research Institute If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word. That Elijah must personally precede the Messiah, was one of the firmest and most undoubted convictions of the. Was John the Baptist Elijah? - Probe Ministries I n his ministry to the nation of Israel, Malachi prophesied that Elijah would come before the Messiah and before the "great and terrible day of the LORD" ( Malachi 3.1, 4.5-6 ). In that way John the Baptist came in a manner similar to Elijah though John was not the actual Elijah. 17:12; Mark 9:11-13).But, since Elijah had died many centuries before, John must have been a reincarnation of Elijah. Matthew 11:14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is ...5 Questions about John the Baptist | Christian Forums 4:5) IF the Jews had received Jesus as their Messiah. As John the Baptist announced Jesus' First Coming, Elijah will announce Jesus' Second Coming. John the Baptist is an Elias, a messenger that prepares the way. Share on other sites. See D&C 110. So also shall the Son of Man suffer at their hand.' Then the disciples understood that he had spoken of John the Baptist." (Matthew 17:10-13) As for the John the Baptist-Elijah episode, there can be little question as to its purpose. Some verses in the gospels seem to say that John the Baptist was Elijah, but others say he was not. II. Some 18 years later, Jesus came to John the Baptist at the Jordan River and was baptized. The Greek word is "martyrian". 22-25 - The Watchtower—1998 Will You Be Faithful Like Elijah? John the Baptist could not have been the reincarnation of Elijah, for the simple reason that we know that death (or the end of one's earthly life) results in a definitive judgment—determining whether or not we are heaven bound, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains here: "Death puts an end to human life as the time open to either accepting or rejecting the divine grace . The book of Malachi was written about 400 B.C., some 450 years after Elijah the Prophet conducted his ministry in Israel's northern kingdom. The Jewish people were waiting for the arrival of three people prophesied in the Old Testament: (A) the Anointed Savior, which is "Messiah" in Hebrew and "Christ" (John 1:20) in Greek, in which the New Testament was written; (B) prophet Elijah just before the Messiah/Christ ("Behold, I will send you Elijah . John the Baptist spent most of his life living in a mountainous area of Judah that was between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. Matthew 3:5-6. Remember, this is Jesus' commentary on what John did. Answer: John the Baptist (he was only referred to as such after he began to baptize) was born to a woman in her old age named Elizabeth. In John 1:19-28, John the Baptist is asked if he is Elijah, and he denies that he is Elijah (or the Prophet or the Christ). If John the Baptist was Elijah the prophet, he either didn't know it or he lied about it. To those who were willing to believe in Jesus, John the Baptist functioned as Elijah, for they believed in Jesus as Lord. Matthew 11:13-14. 19 Now this was John's testimony when the Jewish leaders [] in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He says, "If you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah." In other words, John the Baptist's identification as Elijah was not predicated upon his being the actual Elijah, but upon people's response to his role. It was so characteristic of John's ministry out there in the wilderness, calling people to repentance, saying that the kingdom of God was at hand. They were both descended from the priestly family of Aaron ( Luke 1:5 ). This is why he answered, "I am not Elijah." In other words, since he was preaching and doing certain things, they expected that he was Elijah. The ministry of John began when he was 30 in 26 A.D. 9. 14:3-12). 5-25, 57-80, and iii. International Standard Version If you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 1:17 He shall go before him, Christ, in the power and spirit of Elijah - With the same integrity, courage, austerity, and fervour, and the same power attending his word: to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children - To reconcile those that are at variance, to put an end to the most bitter quarrels, such as are very frequently those between the nearest . At any rate, the passage in which Jesus says in no uncertain terms that John was Elijah is "overt" and direct: "But I tell you, Elijah has come." (Mark 9:13) The following verse is used to refute the John the Baptist/Elijah reincarnation connection. What answer did John give when they said, then who are you? Believing that the Bible indicates John to have been Elijah, some people have contended that the Bible supports the idea of reincarnation. Matthew 17:10-13 His disciples asked him, saying, "Then why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" Jesus answered them, "Elijah indeed comes first, and will restore all things, but I tell you that . As we just saw, the angel quoted this passage to Zacharias concerning his son John the Baptist. But I say unto you, That Elijah is come already.. then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. Matthew 3:1-4 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!' Share this post. John, the Elijah of Malachi 4:5-6, turned the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers. John the Baptist's ministry was carried out in the spirit of Elijah's. Jesus himself identifies John as "Elijah who is to come", which is a direct reference to the Book of Malachi (Malachi 4:5), that has been confirmed by the angel who announced John's birth to his father Zecharia. By identifying the Baptist as Elijah, Jesus is identifying himself as the Messiah. w98 6/15 pp. 12 And from the . John was aware that he was the Elijah-to-come predicted in Malachi and told the Jews in John 1 something to the effect of "I am not Elijah in the sense that you think of it." Support for this thesis comes from the fact that John presents the Jews in his gospel as being blind to the Scriptures. She had been barren all her life but was healed by God (Luke 1:5 - 15, 36). 3:1-2). Is this a contradiction?Let's take a look: Yes, he was Elijah: Matthew 11:13-14, "For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. The definite article is left out: "No. Some were saying, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him." 15 Others said, "He is Elijah." And still others claimed, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago." 16 But when Herod heard this, he said, "John, whom I . Others, noting that John specifically denied being Elijah (John 1:21), have argued that the Bible contradicts itself. We can see parallels between Elijah and John the Baptist within the Prophet Malachi's short book. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. John the Baptist as Elijah. Yet in Matthew 11:14, Jesus says that John the Baptist is the "Elijah who is to come," referring to the promise of Elijah to come before the day of the Lord in Malachi 4:5-6. Jesus confirms that John the Baptist was only a type of Elijah in Matthew 11: And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. Elizabeth was a descendant of Israel's first high priest named Aaron (Luke 1:5) and a cousin of Jesus' mother Mary (Luke 1:36). We will be going into more detail about John the Baptist when we study verses 19 and following. John the Baptist was clear, sharp, and bold in his preaching. Both prophets called Israel to repentance. - King James Version (1611) - View 1611 Bible Scan And they said, "Some {say} John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." Elijah came to Joseph Smith in the Kirtland temple, bringing to pass this prophesy in Malachi. Jewish families that celebrate the Passover seder provide an empty chair at the table. I have passed over Matthew 10, not because it is not important, but because I wish to focus on a wider variety of kinds of passages in this series. John the Baptist (c. 1st century BC - c. AD 30) was an itinerant preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early 1st century AD. Logic demands this . John the Baptist as Elijah. Pharisees John's ministry pointed people to the true Messiah, preparing them to receive the gospel message from Christ (Luke 1:17, Matthew 3:3). Why do they ask John the Baptist if he is "Elijah" or "the Prophet"? Where had it been prophesied that Elijah would come? Now, John the Baptist and Elijah. 23 Bible Verses about john the baptist. John the Baptist has the equal spirit as Elijah. John the Baptist was made the subject of a legendary narrative embodied in Luke i. John addressed the religious leaders who came to him by calling them a "generation of vipers," and essentially warns them to "flee from the wrath to come" (verse 7). He will turn the hearts of the father to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just . Posted February 4, 2011. Gabriel/Noah and Joseph Smith are also Eliases. Link to post. Jesus said the John that Baptist was Elijah. Matthew's version of the descent is similar to Mark's but ends with the explicit note that the disciples understood Jesus to be associating John the Baptist with Elijah: 'Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist' (Matthew 17:13; cf. If he was not Elijah then Jesus could not be the Christ. Answer (1 of 2): The Blessed Virgin Mary is just like the Prophet Elijah, as she too was Assumed bodily into Heaven. Verse 22: "So they said to him, "Who are you? His boldness in preaching was much like the approach of Elijah. John the Baptist and Elijah In addition, John the Baptist is linked to another figure who, like Jeremiah, was linked both to Moses and to Israel's future deliverance: Elijah. The Bible tells us that John the Baptist possessed, A brief look at the ministry of John the Baptist reveals many notable ways that he was "Elijah." First, God predicted John's work as being like that of Elijah (Luke 1:17). John The Baptist Had The Spirit Of Elijah. Mark 1:4-5. Other Translations of Matthew 11:10-17 King James Version. He is the son of Zacharias and Elisabeth. Jewish families that celebrate the Passover seder provide an empty chair at the table. 14 King Herod heard about this, for Jesus' name had become well known. Between the time John began his ministry to the time Jesus began His, there was an unprecedented religious fervour (verse 12), when men of Israel sought the kingdom of God with immense vigour ('violence'). He was not Elijah in the flesh because the real Elijah comes before the kingdom - the millennial kingdom. He would eventually be the one who baptized our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. John the Baptist repeatedly tells them, "No," I am not the Christ, I am not Elijah. According to the Gospel of Luke, John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth were relatives. John was the last of the human, Old Testament . And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, and if you are willing to believe their message, John is Elijah, whose coming was predicted. If that sounds nonsensical, it is. It lasted for about three years until put in prison by Herod Antipas . Here's a verse explaining he would act "in the spirit of Elias" from Luke 1: That is not all. The Bible says Elizabeth had not been able to have children. Wesley's Notes for Luke 1:17. He will go before him in the spirit and with the power of Elijah, 'to reunite fathers to their children and the rebellious to the understanding of . Elijah's name was brought up in verse 17 because Elijah, like John the Baptist, stood up against rulers as shown in Malachi 4:5; Matthew 11:14; 17:10-13. Third, like Elijah, John the Baptist preached in the wilderness (Matthew 3:1). These prophecies in the Old Testament was fulfilled by John the Baptist coming as spiritual Elijah 2000 years ago. And if ye will receive it, this is Elijah, which was for to come. GOD'S WORD® Translation If you are willing to accept their message, John is the Elijah who was to come. 14 "And if you care to accept it, he himself is Elijah, who was to come." No, he was not Elijah: John 1:19-21, "And this is the witness of John . For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. God calls His faithful children to go out and preach in the spirit of Elijah and John the Baptist to bring reformation and get people ready for Christ soon coming (John 8:56; 1 Peter 1:10, 11). Jesus told the crowds to believe that "John is Elijah, whom they said would come . 12. When John the Baptist replied, he knew in advance what they were thinking because he knew what the Jews believed in regard to Elijah. John the Baptist would have served as the fulfillment of God's promise to send Elijah before the day of the Lord (Mal. 18 And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, "Who do the people say that I am?" 19 They answered and said, "John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again." 20 And He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" According to the Gospel of Luke, John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth were relatives. John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. [⇑ See verse text ⇑] Jews didn't believe in reincarnation, so when the people say that Jesus is John the Baptist—who was the same age as Jesus—or Elijah or Jeremiah (Matthew 16:14), or any of the other Old Testament prophets, they don't mean Jesus was literally one of the former prophets. 10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. How is Elijah related to John the Baptist? And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth . Therefore, John the Baptist is a type of Elijah. Jews ; and the fact that the Baptist denied himself to be Elijah, was a circumstance that went far to discredit his mission. What does Mark 8:28 mean? John, the Elijah of Malachi 4:5-6, turned the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers. 10. Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." A WITNESS (verses 7 and 8) The apostle John is the only gospel writer to use the word "witness" to describe John the Baptist. His diet was strict and he dressed rather roughly (like Elijah - Matthew 3:4, Mark 1:6, 2Kings 1:8). After the death of John the Baptist at the hands of Herod Antipas in 28AD, Jesus declared that John was the messenger prophesied by Malachi, who was sent to "Prepare in the desert the way for the LORD" (Isaiah 40:3) (see Matthew 11:10 & Malachi 3:1). This verse is all we know about Elijah's appearance: "And he said to them, "What kind of man was he who came up to meet you and spoke these words to you?" And they answered him, "He was a hairy man with a leather girdle bound about his loins." And he said, "It is Elijah . Matthew 16:14 | View whole chapter | See verse in context And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist : some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. John the Baptist's coming as Elijah in a future tense in verse 11 would apply to the case of a resurrected John the Baptist after AD 33, if he was about to come as one of the Matthew 27:52-53 resurrected saints. Literal Standard Version I n his ministry to the nation of Israel, Malachi prophesied that Elijah would come before the Messiah and before the "great and terrible day of the LORD" ( Malachi 3.1, 4.5-6 ). Yet, he specifically denied that he was the prophesied "Elijah" of this verse in Malachi (John 1:21). Between the time John began his ministry to the time Jesus began His, there was an unprecedented religious fervour (verse 12), when men of Israel sought the kingdom of God with immense vigour ('violence'). Meaning, if Jesus thought that John was either Elijah or the promised type of Elijah as foretold of in Malachi 4, then he would have only described John or Elijah using the past tense. But, just as Elijah did, John cried out for God's people to turn from their sins and come back to Jehovah. John 1:19-26 New International Version (NIV) John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah. Showing 1 - 23 of 23 results Matthew 3:1 [John the Baptist Prepares the Way] In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea Read this verse in context; Luke 7:18 [Jesus and John the Baptist] John's disciples told him about all these things. Jesus himself identifies John as "Elijah who is to come", which is a direct reference to the Book of Malachi (Malachi 4:5), that has been confirmed by the angel who announced John's birth to his father Zecharia. In Elijah's case, the fulfillment of his ministry came as he appointed Hazael king over Syria and Jehu king over Israel (1 Kings 19:15-16). 15. They did not, however, and so, as Jesus makes clear in Matt. Solution: There are many reasons why this verse does not teach reincarnation. Many Rabbis thought that when Elijah returned, he would settle legal disputes, and perform miracles, and perhaps introduce the Messiah; so they wondered if John the Baptist was Elijah. Matthew 11:13-14 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John [the Baptist].And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. A Biblical Examination . John the Baptist was similar in appearance to Elijah in the Old Testament. John the Baptist is the man who prepared the way for the Messiah, preaching repentance. Assumption of Mary John the Baptist was a great prophet. John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah preparing the way for the Messiah (Mal. Problem: Jesus refers here to John the Baptist as "Elijah who is to come" (cf. The ministry done by Elijah and John the Baptist is needed in our apostate world today. And, like Elijah, John was a powerful preacher who, in the spirit of Elijah, spoke with great boldness to an evil king (Elijah to Ahab and John to Herod Antipas). If he was not Messiah, who did they think he was? His birth was foretold in Luke 1. Daily Bible Verses 282 John The Baptist had the Spirit of Elijah Malachi 4:5-6 King James Version (KJV) 5. John was the last of the human, Old Testament . The same heart, the same mindset, John was a copycat of Elijah. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Messiah." 21 They asked him, "Then who are you? One theologian declared, " the truth is, John the Baptist was not the Elijah yet to come, but he was the Elijah for the spiritual kingdom then being ushered in ." The logical translation of this is that He was Elijah of prophesy, but he wasn't Elijah of prophesy. This would be in the near future to when Jesus spoke verse 11. Elijah did miracles, but John did not (John 10:41). The story of the birth of the one who came to be known as John the Baptist gives signs of the greatness to come. 11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. John the Baptist and Jesus Christ: John the Baptist testifying about Jesus: "Look the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." John the Baptist Coming as Elijah John the Baptist as Elijah. Matt. He was using a very familiar Jewish expression that pointed out the reality of a thing in proverbial language. Introduction. The Question Of John The Baptist (Matthew 11:1-19) The next section we will study will be Matthew 11:1-19, which is the account of John's question from prison and Jesus' response to it. The empty chair is reserved for . The empty chair is reserved for . Was John the Baptist really the prophet Elijah? I don't think either is likely. How is Elijah related to John the Baptist? 17:11, Elijah is still to come. Peter's Confession. John the Baptist would fulfill the "messenger" prophecy of Malachi 3:1 (Isaiah 40:3; John 1:23). Matthew 11:14 —Didn't Jesus say John the Baptist was Elijah reincarnated?. Introduction. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6. I am not Elijah." He sent his people a prophet (John the Baptist) who possessed and exhibited the same bold, powerful character and message of repentance as Elijah had. The verse cited in the question was spoken by the angel Gabriel at the time that he informed the Jewish priest Zacharias that Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth would have a son, who was to be named John (later known as John the Baptist). Logic demands this refer to his preaching as having a positive impact upon family life. Episode 441 Show Notes From the Show This is a call to repentance. But Jesus emphatically described Elijah's . The Gospels only refer to John the Baptist's ministry as "in the power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17), and only for those receptive to the message (Matthew . John's parents were an older couple named Zacharias and Elizabeth. The angel Gabriel announced John's birth to Zacharias while that priest stood . As Elijah mistakenly perceived that he had failed in his ministry (1 Kings 19), so John the Baptist wrongly questioned whether he had failed in naming Jesus as the Messiah (Matthew 11:2ff.). (All Scripture References are from the New King James Version, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, 1981; unless otherwise noted) Word: (An Angel told Zacharias), "And he (John the Baptist) shall go before Him (Jesus) in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to Verse 13 brings some closure: "Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist." I take this statement to confirm the distinction I made above: the historic Elijah—the one who had been on the Mount of Transfiguration, the one expected by the Jews—is different from Malachi's prophesied Elijah. And they said, Some say that thou art Iohn the Baptist, some Elias, and others Ieremias, or one of þ e Prophets. Second, he dressed like Elijah (2 Kings 1:8 and Matthew 3:4). 11. He is also known as John the Forerunner in Christianity, John the Immerser in some Baptist Christian traditions, and Prophet Yaḥyā in Islam.He is sometimes alternatively referred to as John the Baptizer.. John is mentioned by the Roman Jewish . Jesus statement that Elijah will come is found in Matthew 17, whereas Matthew reported John's death in chapter 14. When Jesus affirmed about John that "this is Elias, which was for to come" Matt.11:14, KJV - He was not inferring that John had reincarnated as Elijah. Turning hearts is a fruit, an effect, that happens alongside preparing a people to receive the Messiah. John the Baptist is the man who prepared the way for the Messiah, preaching repentance. Bible Verses about Elijah as Type of John the Baptist Bible Verses about Elijah as Type of John the Baptist Malachi 4:5-6 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. 1-20, according to which he was the son of Zacharias, a priest of the section of Abia, and of Elisabeth, also of priestly descent, and was born in their old age. And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? Jesus himself said that John the Baptist was the last in the line… Apparently he was also told to wear the same clothing as Elijah. Preparation for the Coming of Christ John was best at preparing people for Christ's arrival and was sent to soften the hearts of those who would listen to make them more trusting and ready . What had Jesus meant when He said John the Baptist was Elijah? We, Christians, are to emulate Christ. That is to have the same quality of Christ. The Death of John the Baptist. Even as Elijah restored right conceptions about God in his day, John the Baptist restored right conceptions about the Messiah, God with us. John the Baptist wasn't Elijah, but he would prepare the way for the Lord in the same spirit and power as Elijah.