5. I send you Elijah--as a means towards your "remembering the law"
(Mal 4:4).
the prophet--emphatical; not "the Tishbite"; for it is in his official,
not his personal capacity, that his coming is here predicted. In this
sense, John the Baptist was an Elijah in spirit
(Lu 1:16, 17),
but not the literal Elijah; whence when asked, "Art thou Elias?"
(Joh 1:21),
He answered, "I am not." "Art thou that prophet?" "No." This implies
that John, though knowing from the angel's announcement to his father
that he was referred to by
Mal 4:5
(Lu 1:17),
whence he wore the costume of Elijah, yet knew by inspiration that he
did not exhaustively fulfil all that is included in this
prophecy: that there is a further fulfilment (compare Note, see
on
Mal 3:1).
As Moses in
Mal 4:4
represents the law, so Elijah represents the prophets. The Jews always
understood it of the literal Elijah. Their saying is, "Messiah must be
anointed by Elijah." As there is another consummating advent of Messiah
Himself, so also of His forerunner Elijah; perhaps in person, as at the
transfiguration
(Mt 17:3;
compare
Mt 17:11).
He in his appearance at the transfiguration in that body on which death
had never passed is the forerunner of the saints who shall be found
alive at the Lord's second coming.
Re 11:3
may refer to the same witnesses as at the transfiguration, Moses and
Elijah;
Re 11:6
identifies the latter (compare
1Ki 17:1;
Jas 5:17).
Even after the transfiguration Jesus
(Mt 17:11)
speaks of Elijah's coming "to restore all things" as still future,
though He adds that Elijah (in the person of John the Baptist) is come
already in a sense (compare
Ac 3:21).
However, the future forerunner of Messiah at His second coming may be a
prophet or number of prophets clothed with Elijah's power, who, with
zealous upholders of "the law" clothed in the spirit of "Moses," may be
the forerunning witnesses alluded to here and in
Re 11:2-12.
The words "before the . . . dreadful day of the Lord,"
show that John cannot be exclusively meant; for he came before the day
of Christ's coming in grace, not before His coming in terror, of which
last the destruction of Jerusalem was the earnest
(Mal 4:1;
Joe 2:31).
JFB.
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