The Elijah Message

Pastor Rod Thompson

Midland SDA Church

April 11, 2020

In Matthew 17 you have the story of the transfiguration of Jesus.  It is the only place in the gospels where this event is mentioned.  But you know the story.  Jesus takes Peter, James and John up on a high mountain and there He is changed right before their eyes. 

Read Matthew 17:2-3

Of course, we know that there is significance that it is Moses and Elijah who show up on the scene.

Just a few verses earlier Jesus said,

Matthew 16:28     Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.

And Just 6 days later we have this scene in Matthew 17.  Jesus is changed right before them and Moses and Elijah show up to help reveal to us what it will be like as the Son of Man comes in His kingdom.

Jesus will be coming back to this earth and he will be coming into His kingdom in His glorified body. 

1 John 3:2  Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed. We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

Moses shows up because He represents the Law of God, and he represents all those, who, at the coming of Jesus, will be raised form the dead. Elijah shows up because he represents the prophets, and he represents all those, who, at the coming of Jesus, will be translated and will not taste death.

So, this is a powerful example to us as to what that day will be like.  So, Peter, James, and John, got to experience that and that prophecy was fulfilled almost immediately. 

Jesus tells them not to say anything to anyone until after His death and resurrection.

But I want you to notice something very interesting.  As they are coming back down from the mountain

Read Matthew 17: 10

Essentially Jesus revealed to these three disciples that He is truly the Messiah.  So, it raises a question in their minds.

Hold on a minute, Isn’t Elijah supposed to show up on the scene before the Messiah?

Deuteronomy 18:15      The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren.  Him you shall hear.

This was Moses speaking to the children of Israel, telling them that there was another prophet coming, like him, in the future. 

Read Malachi 4:5-6

If you go back to Malachi 3:1, there is another reference,  it says, “Behold, I send my messenger, and He will prepare the way before me.”

So once again in Malachi 4:5 you have this reference to the messenger who will prepare others for the day of the Lord, and this time it is designated as Elijah.

Read John 1:19-23

Here we see the Pharisee’s come to John and ask him, Are you the Messiah?.  John vehemently denies this – No I am not.  John’s denial categorically settles the question.  So, they say, “What then, who are you?  Are you Elijah?

And once again John says no.  Why did they ask him that question?

Because it was popularly believed, based on Deuteronomy 18 and Malachi 4 that Elijah would appear in person to proclaim the coming Messiah.  So, John says I am not Elijah.  You see he would have been misunderstood had he claimed to be Elijah.

Now in Luke 1 you have the Birth announcement of John the Baptist by the angel of the Lord to his father Zacharias.  I want you to notice what was prophesied about him. 

Read Luke 1: 13-17

So here we see that it wouldn’t be Elijah coming in person but it would be John the Baptist coming in the Spirit of Elijah.

In fact, after the three disciples witnessed His transfiguration and they came down from the mountain and they asked Jesus, isn’t Elijah supposed to come first, notice what Jesus said.

Read Matthew 17: 11-13

So here we see Jesus saying John the Baptist is the one who was supposed to come before me.  He fulfilled his mission.

Now let me ask you a question.  If Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, had a forerunner that came before Him to announce His coming before He stepped on to the scene as the Messiah, should we expect another messenger before His second coming to this earth?

Remember what we read in Malachi 4:5, It said, “behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

Now nearly every single Bible commentary out there believes that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is the second coming of Jesus.

So, we should expect an Elijah type message to go out to the world before Jesus comes.  So, the question we need to ask ourselves is, what is the Elijah message?

In 1 Kings chapter 1 King David is about to die and his sons are jockeying for position, so he puts an end to the controversy by having Solomon (his son by Bathsheba) ordained as King.  And you know the story.  Solomon is the wisest man to ever live.  But he fails to live up to all that God had called him to be.

So, at the end of Solomon’s life God says, “because you have done this, and have not kept my covenant and statues, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.  Nevertheless, I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son.”  (1 Kings 11: 11-12)

And of course, you know the story.  The kingdom becomes divided and Jeroboam becomes the king of 10 of the 12 tribes and he leads Israel into national apostasy. And you can go to 1 Kings 11-16 and you can read all about the wicked kings and the national apostacy.

But then in 1 Kings 17 a man by the name of Elijah shows up on the scene.  And Elijah goes before the wicked King of Judah – King Ahab. 

Now if you know anything about Ahab, you realize that he was one of the most wicked kings the nation of Israel ever had, he was married to a wicked woman by the name of Jezebel and together they led the nation into rebellion against God and idol worship.  At this time in history nearly the entire kingdom was involved in worshipping the false god, called Baal.

Now it was believed that Baal was the God of fresh water, who sends the dew and the rain. So, God sends Elijah to tell Ahab there will be no dew and no rain these years except at my word.  And of course, you know, there was no rain for 3 years.

Now once Elijah gives the message God tells him to go and hide, because as this judgment against the house of Judah and against this false god, Ahab is going to be upset, and he is going to try and kill Elijah.  Because somehow, he thinks that if he can get rid of the messenger, he can get rid of this judgment.  But of course, we know Elijah is just the messenger, it is God who is bringing this judgment.

Now, during this time of hiding we see that God also is working through him to save others.  He sends him to the widow of Zarephath which belongs to Sidon.  She and her son are spared through the famine and drought that is in the land.  And then when the widow’s son dies, he prays for him and God raises him from the dead. 

But now three years later, at the height of the drought God sends Elijah to once again confront Ahab.  And he essentially tells Ahab, assemble all the people - bring your 450 prophets of Baal and your 400 prophets of Asherah that eat at Jezebels table and let’s meet up on Mt Carmel and let’s have a contest.

Let’s each build and altar, each take a bull and cut it in pieces and lay it on the altar, put wood under it – but light no fire.  Then we each will call upon our God, and which ever God answers by fire, He is God.

And they agree to it.  I don’t know about you – but that is the part that really amazes me.  Because Baal was known as the rain God and it hadn’t rained for 3 years.  But interestingly enough, Baal, was also known as the sun god and Asherah was known as the moon god. 

So, I guess they were thinking that if their god didn’t provide the rain perhaps, he would provide the fire to burn up the offering on the altar.    So, they agree to the contest.  And of course, you know the outcome.

But the question is, what is the Elijah message?

I want you to notice the message that Elijah gives to the people of Judah as they are assembled there on Mt Carmel. 

Read 1 Kings 18:21

Elijah is asking the people a rhetorical question, knowing well that they tried to serve both Baal and the God of Israel.  He confronts the people’s polytheistic pluralism, with an either/or choice, for which they will bear the consequence.

So, what is “the Elijah message?”

I want you to notice 12 characteristics that Elijah and John the Baptist had in common

1. They were both bold and fearless in preaching, even before kings

2. They both had a simple diet and lifestyle

3. They both dressed in simple and modest clothing

4. They both discipled others

5. They both preached a baptism of repentance and death to self.

6. They both manifested humility

7. They both endured religious persecution

8. They both ran before the king ( Elijah ran before Ahab and John was the forerunner of Christ)

9. They were both supremely interested in glorifying God

10. They both repaired the altar of God

11. They both had a message that sparked revival and reformation

12. And both gave a message that pointed people to Jesus Christ

If the Lord felt it was important to send a special messenger to prepare Israel for Jesus’ first coming, how much more important is it for Him to send a special message to awaken the church for Jesus’ second coming -the very climax of redemption?

So, let’s look at the three Elijah’s and their message.

The first Elijah was Elijah the Tishbite.  His message had three parts.  It was a message to prepare God’s people for a work He was about to do. 

1. You have forsaken the commandments of the Lord

2. The second part – you are following false gods  (the principle that man can save himself lies at the root of all false worship)

3. The third part – A call for a decision – How long will you falter between two opinions?  How long are you going to set on the fence and be half in the world and half in God.

The second Elijah was John the Baptist – who came in the spirit and power of Elijah, who was a partial fulfillment of Malachi 4: 5.  And what was his message?

1. The first message that John had was that the kingdom of God is at hand.  That is the kingdom of grace and the kingdom of glory.  He was pointing the way to the coming of Jesus and His ministry.

2. The second message was one of rebuke.   You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath of God?

Desire of Ages P103

The message God had given him (John the Baptist) to bear was designed to startle them from their lethargy, and cause them to tremble because of their great wickedness.  Before the seed of the gospel cold find lodgment, the soil of the heart must be broken up.

3. The third part of John’s message was , “Behold the lamb of God.”  This is where he begins pointing people to follow Jesus.

The third Elijah is then a messenger of the Lord who would bring us to the final fulfillment of Malachi 4.  That fulfillment happening just before the second coming of Jesus.  (that great and dreadful day as Malachi called it)

There are many bible scholars that believe that this third fulfillment is not necessarily in a single person but in a body of people who have a specific mission and message for the end of time. 

Early Writings, P155

John came in the spirit and power of Elijah to proclaim the first advent of Jesus…John represents those (those meaning plural)  who should go forth in the spirit and power of Elijah to herald the day of wrath in the second advent of Jesus.

Question

Was it a part of Elijah’s message to herald the day of wrath and coming judgment?  Absolutely!

Was it a part of John the Baptists message to herald the day of wrath and the coming judgment?  Yes, it was

And so, it will be a part of the third Elijah message

It’s a part of that three angel’s message that you and I have been given to give to the world

1. The hour of His judgement has begun

2. Babylon – that corrupt church state system is fallen.  When the truth begins to be restored error is exposed and Babylon falls.

These two messages have already been and are being proclaimed.  But there is a third message

3. Don’t take the mark of the beast.  Why?  Because the day of wrath and judgment is coming upon all those who do.

You see in the same way that the Lord empowered Elijah and John the Baptist to do a work of revival and reformation, God is today preparing an army of last day Elijah’s to do a great work of revival.

Do you want to be a part of delivering this great end-time Elijah message?

I find it very interesting that Elijah means ”The Lord is my God” and it is a summary of Elijah’s proclamation

Make God the first priority in your life, keep His commandments.  Have no other gods.  And proclaim Jesus as the only way by which we must be saved.  Warn others of the coming wrath that will be upon a world that has turned its back on God. That is the Elijah message.  Is it the desire of your heart to be a part of that group?