Blueprint in the past. Controlling the world through economic sanctions and political strength is one of the oldest and strongest desires of the unregenerate heart. Financial wealth and the inherent political power it can buy is a most overwhelming lure. Many spend their entire lives pursuing such false security all the while knowing it is not a permanent defense against real loss. Here is the secret of the saints. They took to heart what Paul told his young counterpart, Timothy, “True religion with contentment is great wealth. After all, we didn’t bring anything with us when we came into the world, and we certainly cannot carry anything with us when we die. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”¹⁶

Just as Elijah was satisfied with sleeping in the wilderness, relying on God to send food by birds and drinking water from a stream, so, too, modern-day Elijah(s) will be content with just a little. What the world will be offering is not what they are here for. They cannot be bought, nor will they sell their souls for a temporary seat at Jezebel’s table.

Another thing we can know for certain is that Elijah always precedes the Lord’s appearing. That day at Mount Carmel, after Elijah had given his warning,  “a little cloud about the size of a hand rising from the sea” represented the coming of the Lord.¹⁷ The cloud brought badly needed rain, thus ending Israel’s 3 and a half years drought.¹⁸ Concerning the second coming of Jesus Christ, John the Revelator said, “Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him.”¹⁹ His arrival will end Israel’s, and the world’s, 3 and half years of spiritual famine caused by a drought of people lacking true biblical knowledge. “‘The time is surely coming,’ says the Sovereign Lord, ‘when I will send a famine in the land—not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger everywhere from sea to sea, searching for the word of the Lord, running here and going there, but they will not find it.’”²⁰ Yet there will be a people living who have a true knowledge of God. While others sought luxury and self-indulgence here on earth, they fed themselves upon the Word of God. They have been instructed that “you must be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who eagerly look for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They patiently wait for the precious harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. And take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.”²¹

Every passing day makes this spiritual famine more obvious. Preachers are in great abundance but many “are like clouds blowing over dry land without giving rain, promising much but producing nothing.”²² They promise much by way of earthly gain in an attempt to increase their following of people who give them money, but do little to prepare them for the coming kingdom. Peter warned about such individuals, declaring, “In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction is on the way.”²³ Would it be shocking to learn that many such shysters are involved in what they call “the Lord’s work”? When some do preach the real truth of God’s Word, many ask, “Why do we not hear more of this from the pulpit?” It is a sad commentary on the superfluous nature of many Christian religious services. Though there be much singing, praising, dancing, prayer, and the doing of good deeds, we hear little mention about God’s plan to someday reveal Himself to the world through the hardship He is going to allow to be brought upon His covenantal people. The Bible is crystal clear—the true Israel in these last days will suffer just as their Messiah did.

Today many ignore Jesus’ Jewish background. Instead a Christian version of Christ who is bifurcated from His Hebrew heritage has been popularized. It offers an ideological view of Jesus that doesn’t conform to the Bible’s description of Him. Being ignorant of His Hebrew identity, those who thus twist the scriptures do so as they attempt to chart God’s future course of end-time events by their own imagination rather than relying on what is outlined in the Bible. Idolatry did not die with the Old Testament but has become more sophisticated in order to thrive in modern times. Only by a careful search of the entire story, as outlined in both Old and New Testaments, can it be detected. Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures because you believe they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me so that I can give you this eternal life.”²⁴ And here is why we want to create our own version of Jesus: “For I have come to you representing my Father, and you refuse to welcome me, even though you readily accept others who represent only themselves. No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from God alone.”²⁵

The message of Elijah will negate the power of sin within human hearts. It will bring healing between God and humanity, even unifying the hearts of parents and estranged children. “And he will persuade many Israelites to turn to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah, the prophet of old. He will precede the coming of the Lord, preparing the people for His arrival. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will change disobedient minds to accept godly wisdom.”²⁶ Just as Jacob underwent his transformation from a deceiver to an upright man in God’s sight, so, too, will those being purified at the end of time experience similar conversions.

The Old Testament (covenant) closed with a promise of a New Covenant (testament) that was coming to Israel. It was their Messiah. His introduction to the Jewish people would be entrusted to none other than another Elijah. Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, records, “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me.”²⁷ Just who was Malachi referring to?

One day the disciples asked Jesus, “‘Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes?’ Jesus replied, ‘Elijah is indeed coming first to set everything in order. But I tell you, he has already come, but wasn’t recognized, and he was badly mistreated. And soon the Son of Man will also suffer at their hands.’ Then the disciples realized he had been speaking of John the Baptist.”²⁸ Again, the Lord, knowing that corrupt Jewish leadership would conspire and plot with the Roman authorities to oppose the Messiah, sent prior warning to the people as to what was about to happen. John not only identified the Messiah but also pointed out the sinful behavior of those holding political power at the time. His faithful testimony concerning what was right in life resulted in the loss of his head.²⁹ Being faithful in explaining God’s plan often has negative consequences in this life, but will be compensated for in the world to come.

Just as the spirit of Elijah preceded Christ’s first advent, so, too, will it pave the way for His second. “The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. The arrogant and wicked will be burned up like straw on that day … Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives.”³⁰ People offer differing opinions as to who this Elijah will be. Some guess it will be Elijah himself come down from heaven. Some teach it will be another individual like John the Baptist whom the Lord will commission. And others predict it will be a larger group of people, like the 7,000 God told Elijah hadn’t given in to Jezebel’s threats. One thing is certain, this end-time force will possess an equal passion, or spirit, to that Elijah had for the Lord’s honor. As in the case with the antichrist, the world will probably have to wait for its identification(s), but there will be no mistaking the essence of the message. It will be a calling of all peoples, Jew and Gentile alike, from all nations back to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And it will be the ringing of the dinner bell for all of Abraham’s children to join the family reunion during which they will no doubt tell their wonderful stories of how the Lord redeemed them from the corruptness of their personal world of sin.³¹

2. 16 1 Timothy 6:6-10
3. 17 1 Kings 18:44
4. 18 See James 5:17, 18
5. 19 Revelation 1:7
6. 20 Amos 8:11-14
7. 21 James 5:7, 8
8. 22 Jude 12
9. 23 2 Peter 2:3; The apostle Paul also had dealings with false ministers who were trained and eloquent speakers, but taught a different gospel about a different Jesus than the one the Bible certifies. See 2 Corinthians
10. 24 John 5:39, 40
11. 25 John 5:43, 44

27    26 Luke 1:17

12. 27 Malachi 3:1
13. 28 Matthew 17:10-13
14. 29 See Matthew 14:1-12
15. 30 Malachi 4:1-5
16. 31 It is the author’s opinion this modern-day Elijah spirit, and the confrontation it is to have with the forces of evil, Revelation 11:1-13 portrays through the imagery of the “Two Witnesses.” As one reads this passage of Scripture in light of similar past biblical accounts, it suggests a strong connection between these two witnesses to Moses and Elijah.