Introduction
Of many prophecies that are directed to God’s last church, Seventh-day Adventist (S.D.A.), the prophecy of Malachi 4:5, 6 (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.) is probably one of the most vexed and misinterpreted. This has been the case, owing to divergent reasons one of which is, “have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?” as the case has always been from the old, no prophet sent to God’s people has ever found homage in the hearts of the leaders, could it be that this last prophet (Elijah) will or was treated with exception?
Background
The Sabbath School department of the S.D.A. Church on the Adult Sabbath School Lesson Bible Study Guide, lesson thirteen, (13) titled “Turning Hearts in the End Time”, dated June 22-28, 2019, addressed the subject in question. However, many were left with hanging queries, whether the stand taken by the Church is substantiated by the Inspiration (Bible and SOP) or it is one of those men crafted hereditary teachings which have been passed on from generation to generation?
“In a sense, we as Adventists see ourselves in the role of John the Baptist. The herald of reform and repentance sought to prepare the way for the first coming of Jesus; we, as a movement, see ourselves doing the same for the Second Coming.” (Adult Sabbath School Lesson Bible Study Guide, 2nd Quarter, 2019).
At face value the quotation cited above seems correct but a closer look through the eye of Inspiration will reveal to what extent is the view correct and whether it can be relied on as authentic from the “sure word of prophecy”.
Let us remember that,
“those who are earnestly seeking a knowledge of the truth and are striving to purify their souls through obedience, thus doing what they can to prepare for the conflict, will find, in the God of truth, a sure defense.” — Great Controversy, page 560.2
Moreover, it is imperative to keep in mind that,
“no prophet of God has ever been welcomed by the church. On the contrary, each in his time was rejected, abused, and most of them were martyred by the ones to whom they were sent — the very ones who were supposed to be serving God! Indeed, the Lord Himself paid the same price. For this very reason we must remember that when the last prophet comes he will have the greatest opposition to meet, for Satan well knows that if he loses now, he loses forever. What makes Elijah’s work especially hard is that Christendom has long been drilled in the idea that no prophet is to come, that there is no necessity for one, that it has enough revealed Truth to carry it inside the Pearly Gates.” … It is therefore only to be expected that the predicted Elijah will be denounced as a false prophet, perhaps even as the anti-Christ, offshoot, or what not” General Conference Special, page. 6.2
General agreement
“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Ghost.” — 2 Peter 1:19-21
“Since there is general agreement that Inspiration direct from the Throne of God is our only spiritual eyesight, then we should be able to see eye to eye if we let the Spirit of God have His way with us. Especially so, dear fellow believers, since the time is dead ripe to look into the situation, now that God’s people everywhere are aroused by the questions: “Has Elijah the prophet already come?” “Is the ancient prophet to appear in person himself?” “Is a group of people to do a work similar to that of the ancient Elijah?” Or what? As no one can in either honesty or impunity stand aloof to the answer which comes from God’s infallible Word, surely you brethren will now give the most serious attention to this urgent consideration, letting nothing distract you from it for you, as well as I, must realize that it means life and eternity to all of us.
The serious issue to which these questions give rise, demands that we cease fooling ourselves or letting others make fools of us. If the questions cannot be answered in positive Truth, far better, then, that they be left on the shelf until the scroll unfolds further, than that they be answered by men’s idle tales, which only confuse and confound.” — General Conference Special, page. 4
Now we may ask,
Has the scroll unrolled far enough to clear up all these questions?
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: andhe 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.” — Mal. 4:5, 6.
“In the light which this prophecy sheds on the subject, no one can possibly escape the conclusion that a prophet — a person — is to be sent “before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord,” and that thus only can there be a group of people in connection with Elijah’s message….” — General Conference Special, p. 6
Was not Elijah the Tishbite a prophet, and an individual? How about John the Baptist? If so, how can it be that the last Elijah is to be a group of people when the Bible plainly says, “Elijah the prophet”? Is a group of people a prophet, and do we have Inspired evidence to substantiate that? If the Bible is not consistent in its symbols, types, rules of interpretation then we are left in despair but this cannot and will never be the case!
The use of the pronoun “he” in Malachi 4:5 intimates that, a masculine is to be sent. Where in the Bible do we find a group of people designated by a pronoun “he”?
Hence the answer of our Lord, “I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.” — Matt. 11:25
Sister EGW’s comment on Malachi 4:5
“Prophecy must be fulfilled. The Lord says: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” Somebody is to come in the spirit and power of Elijah, and when he appears, men may say: “You are too earnest, you do not interpret the Scriptures in the proper way. Let me tell you how to teach your message.” — Testimonies to Ministers, p. 475.3
“No plainer statement could have been made than this that we must look for a prophet, or a message in the near future. If this is an inspired statement, then it seems it would be the duty of the watchmen on the walls of Zion to educate and instruct the people that there is a prophet, or a message to look for. But what have we? On the contrary, the general opinion of the entire denomination is, “no prophet cometh, neither is there any message to be expected. We have all the truth, and we need none,” is the cry from the camp of Israel….” — Shepherd’s Rod, Vol 1, p. 87.2
“Sister White does not mean to say that she is that prophet Elijah, but plainly says a prophet must come, and it is said to be a prophet with the “same spirit and power of Elijah.” This prophet must come before Ezekiel 9 is fulfilled, for the prophecy of Ezekiel is similar to Elijah’s experience with Israel in the days of Ahab. Elijah’s work in the days of Ahab, king of Israel, was to prove to Israel that they had apostatized, and after doing so, he took the priests, or prophets, and cut their heads off, and threw them in the brook. Such was the spirit and power of Elijah.” — Shepherd’s Rod, Vol 1, p 46.2
Lying ministers attempt to silence this prophecy
In a bid to keep the flock in darkness, the clear statement that was penned by sister EGW on Testimonies to Ministers, page 475, was later revised by unnamed committee of leading men in the church, the 1962 reprint of this book was added the words [SEE APPENDIX.] which did not appear in the 1923 and 1944 reprints. This was an obvious attempt to thwart and distort what Inspiration plainly stated, however, says one of the publishers, “This places her on the ground that she and her editorial staff had no understanding of the English language and that when she wrote “he” she actually meant “she”. If this be the case then how can we trust anything she wrote if she did not know the difference between a man and a woman, an individual versus a group of people?” Is this not a ridiculous and fallacious attempt to keep the people of God in darkness?
It is implied from the tenses used, “is to come” that sister Ellen G White pointed forward from her time. Also that this prophet is to be an interpretive prophet for it cannot be said, “you do not interpret the Scriptures in a proper way” if he is not an interpreter, most of the prophecies in the books of Hosea, Micah, Nahum, Obadiah, Zephaniah, Zechariah, Joel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Daniel and Revelation are still obscure to whole Christendom including our denomination (SDA), yet we claim we have all the truth. What a deception!
“What greater deception can come upon human minds than a confidence that they are right when they are all wrong! The message of the True Witness finds the people of God in a sad deception, yet honest in that deception. They know not that their condition is deplorable in the sight of God. While those addressed are flattering themselves that they are in an exalted spiritual condition, the message of the True Witness breaks their security by the startling denunciation of their true condition of spiritual blindness, poverty, and wretchedness. The testimony, so cutting and severe, cannot be a mistake, for it is the True Witness who speaks, and His testimony must be correct.” – Testimonies, Vol 3, p. 252.4
Now the question
Is the ancient prophet Elijah himself to re-appear,
Or is some other, having the same spirit and power, to take his place?
“John the Baptist’s statement that he himself was not the Elijah, and Jesus’ statement that John was the Elijah of that day, not of our day, clear three points:
(1) That John was not in any sense of the word fulfilling the mission of the Elijah who is to come before the great and dreadful day of the Lord, but that he, the last prophet to the church of his day, simply came in the spirit and power of Elijah, to prepare the way for the Lord’s first advent. So it is that the Elijah of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, the last prophet to the church of this day, comes in the same spirit and power, to prepare the way for the Lord’s Second Advent.
(2) That as John was the Elijah of his day, yet not Elijah the Tishbite himself, then the promise of the prophet Elijah is not necessarily to be fulfilled in person by the ancient prophet himself.
(3) That as the Elijah of Christ’s first advent was one person, and also as the Elijah of Mt. Carmel of old was one person, not a multitude of priests, then by parity of reasoning the Elijah of today must also be one person, not a multitude of ministers.
The promise, itself, moreover, is for only one, not for more, and, with but one exception, we know not of any other time when God employed even two prophets (let alone many) at one time, to convey one message to one people. He invariably called one, and that one himself, under the direction of the Spirit, employed others to help him take the message to the people. Thus only were any others ever identified with a called one.” – General Conference Special, p. 31
Why is Elijah sent?
“Since the Scriptures clearly picture Elijah and his work, and also what the day is to be like, none who will humbly inquire about him and his work need to guess or to be in the dark concerning either his identity or his mission, for it is his God-given duty to publish the timely truths as revealed to him out of the prophecies. And so all who are willing and obedient, will have no trouble recognizing him and his message (John 7:17). They will know that anyone who comes with a message other than the message found in the prophecies concerning the great and dreadful day of the Lord, is not the promised Elijah.
What is more, should God send another than Elijah, that is, someone with a message other than of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, he will not claim to be the Elijah, he will not lie. Hence, for anyone to make the claim that he is the Elijah, but bear another message than that of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, is in itself positive proof that he is not a prophet of God at all, but a rank imposter. And if any should tell you that a former prophet has fulfilled the promise, although the prophet himself has not said so, then not to know for a certainty that such are not working for the God of Elijah, but for the devil, is Laodiceanism of the worst.” – General Conference Special, p. 22
“Important as it is, however, to keep in mind the time in which to expect Elijah is “before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord,” yet just this knowledge alone is insufficient. To know when and what the. great and dreadful day itself is, is all-important.
Without this knowledge, who could possibly discern Elijah when he should come? That this knowledge not escape us, Inspiration is at pains again to locate the day through Malachi’s prophecy.”
“Behold, I will send My messenger [Elijah the Prophet, chapter 4, verse 5], and he shall prepare the way before Me: and the Lord, Whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple,… But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ sope: and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” — Mal. 3:1-3.
“The day of the Lord, we are told in these verses is a day of refining, of purifying, of sifting. Moreover, the question, “Who may abide the day of His coming?” points out with sharp emphasis that some will not stand, that they will fall out during the shaking (“Early Writings,” p. 270) and not abide the process of refining” (“Testimonies,” Vol. 5, p.. 80; “Testimonies,” Vol. 8, p. 250).
“Shall it be you, shall it be me, to be shaken out? is the greatest question before us. It cannot, though, be either of us if we are intelligently determined not to let it be. Assuredly, Brethren, not a one need be in uncertainty. All may for a surety know both “the day” and the Elijah as he proclaims it, because to our surprise he will point out that every Bible prophet describes the day and also tells what the Lord would have us do while it is approaching and subsequently while we are going through it. All will see that no one but Elijah can proclaim the day.”
“And now let us behold the event through the eyes of Joel’s prophecy. Had we no other vision of the day but his, it alone would suffice to give us a clear picture of the greatness and dreadfulness of the day.” READ chapter 2 and 3:
“The conclusion of Joel’s prophecy in chapter 2 and also in chapter 3, definitely reveals that “the great and dreadful day of the Lord” is the time of God’s delivering His people from the Gentile nations, and of His cleansing their blood. But do you say, We never heard of such a thing? Well, if it is in God’s Word, we should hear it. And that is exactly why Elijah is sent.” — General Conference Special, p. 10, 11, 19
READ: Ezek. 36:22-28, Zephaniah 1:12-8, Amos 9:9-10, Isaiah 66:15-20
Is the great and dreadful day of the Lord the same event as the second coming of Christ?
Answer:
“As seen from Malachi 4:5, the great and dreadful day of the Lord comes as the result of the proclamation of the message of Elijah the prophet. Thus rather than being Christ’s second appearing, it is obviously on the one hand His setting His seal upon the forehead of the righteous (Rev. 14:1; 7:9) and bringing His judgments, “the wrath of the Lamb,” upon the wicked (Rev. 6:15-17); and on the other hand Satan’s warring against the remnant (Rev. 12:17).” — Symbolic Code, Vol.7, Nos. 7-12 p. 19 (Texas–1941)
“Since the promised Elijah is to be the last prophet to the church today, as John the Baptist was the last prophet to the church in his day, and since the last work on earth is the Judgment for the Living, the truth stands forth like the light of day that
Elijah’s message is the message of the Judgment for the Living, the last, which in the very nature of the gospel is of far more importance and consequence than any other message ever borne to a people.” – General Conference Special, p. 23
Clear it is that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is not the second coming of Christ but the Judgement of the living, the purification of the church (Great Controversy, p. 425). For Paul says in Ephesians 5:27, “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” From this verse it is clear that the church which Christ will receive to Himself on earth not in Heaven, will be pure, this will be accomplished through the process of purification highlighted as the “great and dreadful day of the Lord” by Malachi.
Conclusion
“Brethren, what these pages here bring to you, to leave in your hearts for your most earnest, prayerful consideration, is not a theory not someone’s idle tale, but is of Inspiration Itself. It can only therefore be Truth. Consequently your giving heed to it should make you exceedingly happy. If there is however any doubt, then I ask you please to produce your cause. Show us what else must these prophecies and parables mean.” — General Conference Special, p. 43
“This surely confirms the conclusion that since Elijah is to herald the great day, he can therefore be the only one who will rightly interpret the prophecies of the day, which are still mysteries to Christendom, and even to our own Denomination! Indeed, to reiterate, it is for this very reason that the prophet is sent. He is to unroll the scroll to explain what the day of the Lord is like, what the Lord will do then, and how we may survive His judgments. To re-emphasize the fact, let it be said again that being the last of the prophets Elijah is, therefore, the only one who can open to our understanding all the prophecies of the Scriptures pertaining to the great and dreadful day of the Lord — prophecies which heretofore have been only mysteries to all. Thus he is, as the Scriptures say, to blow the trumpet in Zion, and to sound an alarm in God’s holy mountain, in the church.” – General Conference Special, p.19
Now that Elijah has come (Victor T. Houteff), send your name and details to the contacts given below and we will freely supply you with his publications to “prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thess 5:21) and see whether he is of God or not?
Click here (WHO IS THE ELIJAH OF TODAY 1) to download PDF study.
