Prophecy
"Behold,
I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming
of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
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 with a curse." Malachi
4:5-6
Fulfillment
"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.
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth
violence, and the violent take it by force.
For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." Matthew
11:11-15 |
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Preceded by Elijah - Malachi
4:5-6
It was long since Israel had had a prophet, long since such
a reformation as was now in progress had been witnessed. The
demand for confession of sin seemed new and startling. Many
among the leaders would not go to hear John's appeals and denunciations,
lest they should be led to disclose the secrets of their own
lives. Yet his preaching was a direct announcement of the Messiah.
It was well known that the seventy weeks of Daniel's prophecy,
covering the Messiah's advent, were nearly ended; and all were
eager to share in that era of national glory which was then
expected. Such was the popular enthusiasm that the Sanhedrin
would soon be forced either to sanction or to reject John's
work. Already their power over the people was waning. It was
becoming a serious question how to maintain their position.
In the hope of arriving at some conclusion, they dispatched
to the Jordan a deputation of priests and Levites to confer
with the new teacher.
A multitude were gathered, listening to his words, when the delegates approached.
With an air of authority designed to impress the people
and to command the deference of the prophet the haughty rabbis came. With a movement
of respect, almost of fear, the crowd opened to let them pass. The great men,
in their rich robes, in the pride of rank and power, stood before the prophet
of the wilderness.
"Who art thou?" they demanded.
Knowing what was in their thoughts, John answered, "I am not the Christ."
"What then? Art thou Elias?"
"I am not."
"Art thou that prophet?"
"No."
"Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest
thou of thyself?"
"I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of
the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias."
The scripture to which John referred is that beautiful prophecy of Isaiah: "Comfort
ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God. Speak
ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her appointed time is accomplished,
that her iniquity is pardoned. . . . The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,
Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our
God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made
low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: and
the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together." Isa.
40:1-5, margin.
Anciently, when a king journeyed through the less frequented
parts of his dominion, a company of men was sent ahead of the
royal chariot to level the steep places and to fill up the
hollows, that the king might travel in safety and without hindrance.
This custom is employed by the prophet to illustrate the work
of the gospel. "Every valley shall be exalted, and every
mountain and hill shall be made low." When the Spirit
of God, with its marvelous awakening power, touches the soul,
it abases human pride. Worldly pleasure and position and power
are seen to be worthless. "Imaginations, and every high
thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God" are
cast down; every thought is brought into captivity "to
the obedience of Christ." 2 Cor. 10:5. Then humility and
self-sacrificing love, so little valued among men, are exalted
as alone of worth. This is the work of the gospel, of which
John's message was a part.
The rabbis continued their questioning: "Why baptizest thou then, if thou
be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?" The words "that
prophet" had reference to Moses. The Jews had been inclined to the belief
that Moses would be raised from the dead, and taken to heaven. They did not know
that he had already been raised. When the Baptist began his ministry, many thought
that he might be the prophet Moses risen from the dead, for he seemed to have
a thorough knowledge of the prophecies and of the history of Israel.
It was believed also that before the Messiah's advent, Elijah would personally
appear. This expectation John met in his denial; but his words had a deeper meaning.
Jesus afterward said, referring to John, "If ye are willing to receive it,
this is Elijah, which is to come." Matt. 11:14, R. V. John came in the spirit
and power of Elijah, to do such a work as Elijah did. If the Jews had received
him, it would have been accomplished for them. But they did not receive his message.
To them he was not Elijah. He could not fulfill for them the mission he came
to accomplish.
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