The Lord told us in the book of Malachi, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.”
The great and dreadful day of the Lord has yet to come, so we should sincerely look for this prophet. If the Bible is true, then this prophet will not come to the mainstream religious organizations. He will come to a select, predestinated few. Imagine if this prophet came, and he was missed. What if he is like the prophets of old, and only a handful of people recognize him? If this prophet is to return in the last day, how will we know him? The answer is plainly seen in the Scriptures. He will have the nature of a prophet. He will know the secrets of the heart. He will perform miracles. The main-stream religious organizations will attempt to discredit him. But there will be a chosen few that recognize him as the promised messenger for the day.
How will we know when Elijah returns? What characteristics will he display, so we can recognize him?
Elijah was a man of the wilderness. Great signs and wonders followed his ministry. He preached against the evils of his day. He especially preached against the immorality of Queen Jezebel. When Elijah was taken up to Heaven in a chariot of fire, his spirit fell upon Elisha. His ministry was then marked by great signs and wonders, and Elisha also preached against the sins of the world. Both prophets stood alone against the religious organizations of that day (I Kings 18:21). Hundreds of years later, the same spirit returned to the earth in John the Baptist. The prophet Malachi predicted that Elijah would return to introduce the Lord: Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me... (Malachi 3:1). John the Baptist was true to form as he called for repentance among the children of God. Like Elijah, he preached against the king and the modern religious organizations. The Lord Jesus confirmed that John the Baptist was the prophet of Malachi 3 in the book of Matthew: “For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.” Matt 11:10
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