The Spirit and Power of Elijah -- Part 1

The leaders of at least two of the major off-shoot Churches of God believe that Herbert W. Armstrong fulfilled the end-time prophecy of the one who would come in the spirit and power of the prophet Elijah. My immediate reaction is to condemn this as absolute nonsense. However, having made so very many mistakes of my own in this lifetime, I must try to show the compassion God has always shown me and consider their beliefs (and their teachings) in the light of Holy Scripture.

The problem as I understand it is that while Mr. Armstrong may be seen as having come in the spirit and power of John the Baptist, “to make ready a people prepared for the Lord,” his ministry was not blessed with any of the overt powers of Elijah. But in our continuing search for a more perfect truth, what we in the “church” and the Churches of God need to realize is -- neither did the ministry of John!

The ministry of John the Baptist succeeded in making ready a people prepared for the Lord; but as it was with Herbert Armstrong, the ministry of John was not blessed with any of the openly displayed powers of Elijah! Therefore, rather than try to show why Herbert Armstrong was not, and could not have been the prophesied Elijah to come; I intend to show that neither did John the Baptist fulfill that prophecy!

Malachi 3:1 “‘Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,’ says the LORD of hosts.”

Isaiah 40:3 “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’”

Matthew 11:9-10 “[Jesus said:] ‘But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’”

There seems no reason to doubt that John the Baptist was the messenger prophesied to prepare the way before the Lord. However, there tends to be a problem when we try to equate him with the prophesied Elijah. Most of professing Christianity accepts that John fulfilled this prophecy -- as do the ministers of the Churches of God -- but can such a belief stand up to a close, in-depth scrutiny of the Scriptures? There are several passages which on the surface do appear to point directly to John, but we need to take a very close look at each of these -- then consider all other passages which bear on this subject -- before accepting any of it as biblical truth.

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.”

This passage is the focal point of the prophecy. While it should be important to each of us that we clearly understand who it was that came in the spirit and power of Elijah, it should also be of great importance that we discover whether or not God has allowed us to accept error in our understanding! If we as a Church have somehow misunderstood the message of this prophecy, then it is imperative that we not only discover the truth of the matter but that we also understand why we were allowed to accept error as truth in the first place! If this was done by the will of God, there must have been a reason!

All right then! I said there were several passages which apparently point to John as the fulfillment of the Elijah to come. In my opinion the first is the most crucial:

Luke 1:13-17 “But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’”

This seems to say quite clearly that John was to be the prophesied Elijah. The words themselves are apparently a statement made by the angel Gabriel, in private, to a clearly agitated Zacharias. Zacharias must therefore be the sole human source upon whom the accuracy of this quotation depends.

Note: If there is one grave danger for the individual who attempts to understand scripture it is when he or she tries to manipulate the inspired words of God in order to make them fit into a preconceived idea. This danger is especially true when we are found to be adding to, or taking away from, the words as they were inspired to be written: (see Revelation 22:18-19).

That having been said, the meaning of Luke 1:17 changes completely by adding a comma and the words, “whom is,” into the line “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias [Elijah].” Watch this: “And he shall go before him, in whom is the spirit and power of Elias [Elijah].” According to the enhanced sentence it would be the person before whom John goes who will manifest the spirit and powers of Elijah.

The question that needs to be completely researched and answered in this and subsequent passages of the Bible is whether it was John the Baptist, or Jesus the Christ, who actually fulfilled the prophecy of the Elijah to come. But before considering any possible inaccuracy or misunderstanding in Luke 1:17 we need to look at another passage which seems to point directly to John. Please note that the following passage is quoted in both the Authorized and the New King James Versions:

Matthew 11:13-15 (NKJV) “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Matthew 11:13-15 (AKJV) “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you will receive it, this is Elias [Elijah] which was for to come. He, that has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Jesus is the one being quoted in this statement. But whenever Jesus or the Scriptures say, “He, that has ears to hear, let him hear,” it is usually in reference to a mystery, or a parable, or a puzzle that has just been put forward; the implication being that only by the Spirit of God will the hearer be able to understand. In this case, I doubt there are more than a handful of people in the whole of professing Christendom who do not believe that John the Baptist was the promised Elijah!

I believe this verse does indeed contain a mystery and it lies in the words: “And if you will receive it, ‘this is Elias’ who was for to come.” By these words I believe Jesus was making a veiled reference to himself! Notice the similarity in the following passage from the writings of Matthew:

Matthew 16:18 “[Jesus said:] And I also say to you ‘That you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church...’” (Those of you who are of the “church” of God, and who understand to what I infer by using this passage, will also understand if I repeat the words of Jesus when he said: “He, who has ears to hear, let him hear!”)

Now consider this next passage:

Matthew 17:10-13 “And his disciples asked [Jesus], saying, ‘Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.’ Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of John the Baptist.”

There are many conflicting questions and answers in this passage; we need to look more closely at all of them in hope of finding a little more clarity. Why do the disciples even ask such a question? John was already dead, the ministry of Jesus was well under way, and yet it is apparent from these verses that the possibility of John being the prophesied Elijah had not even occurred to the disciples.

Does the answer made by Jesus clearly tell us John was in fact the prophesied Elijah; or was Jesus doing what he did continuously throughout his ministry, giving his disciples a confusing statement they would understand only if and when the Spirit of God gave them understanding? If there is anything in this exchange between Jesus and his disciples that may be taken as a specific point of truth, it should be the statement made in verse 13: “Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of John the Baptist.”

Every time I have heard this verse quoted, or used in a sermon, the speaker has placed emphasis on the first word “then”: “Then the disciples understood...” The implication being that the disciples have finally come to realize what they should have known all along. But what does this verse actually say? It tells us that from the explanation given by Jesus, the disciples understood, or believed, or put together, or surmised that Jesus spoke unto them of John the Baptist. It does not specifically say that Jesus was speaking about John -- only that the disciples believed he was speaking about John!

In order to accept the possibility that the disciples may have misunderstood the answer of Jesus we need to find scriptural evidence to support such a possibility. Contrary to popular opinion, during his earthly ministry Jesus did not make much of an effort to teach his disciples or to help them understand the mysteries of God. Consider the following statement made by Jesus following his death and resurrection.

Luke 24:44-45 “Then [Jesus] said to [his disciples], ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning me.’ And he opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.”

It may be inferred by this statement that while Jesus was yet with them he told them of many things concerning the mysteries of God, but that much of what he told them they were not able to understand. You need to search the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John by yourself to come to a more perfect personal understanding of this, but the following scriptures may be helpful examples for you to consider:

Matthew 13:10-51 Jesus had been speaking to the people in parables and his disciples came to him and said: “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” Jesus explained that the mysteries of God were not given to the people in general; therefore he spoke to the people in parables so they would not be able to understand; however, to the disciples it was given that they should understand. Jesus did on many occasions explain the parables to his disciples; even then, they were not always able to understand. When that happened, Jesus was quite content to leave them in a state of ignorance. Notice verse 51 where Jesus still had to ask them: “Have you understood all these things? They say unto him, ‘Yes Lord.’” Did they in fact understand? Perhaps they did; perhaps not!

Matthew 15:12-16 Jesus had made a statement he apparently expected his disciples to understand: “Then Peter answered and said to [Jesus], ‘Explain this parable to us.’ So Jesus said, ‘Are you also still without understanding?’”

Matthew 26:51-54 Even on the night when Jesus was arrested, the Apostle Peter did not understand that these events had to take place: “One of those who were with Jesus ... drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear ... [Jesus said] ‘But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled...?’”

Acts 1:1-6 Following the death and resurrection of Jesus his disciples still did not realize that he would not be setting up the kingdom of God at that time. Notice Acts 1:6 “Therefore, when [the disciples] had come together, they asked [Jesus], saying, ‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’”

Matthew 27:62-63 The chief priests and the Pharisees said to Pontius Pilate: “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’” Apparently the chief priests and Pharisees had a better understanding of what Jesus had prophesied than did his own disciples.

Mark 9:31-32 “For [Jesus] taught his disciples and said to them, ‘The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after he is killed, he will rise the third day.’ But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him!”

The purpose of these examples is to show that simply because the disciples believed Jesus was saying John was the prophesied Elijah does not necessarily make it so! What we must do now is expand our search of the Scriptures looking for evidence pointing to a more perfect understanding of who it was that actually fulfilled the prophecy of the Elijah to come!

Matthew 11:2-5 “And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to him, ‘Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.’”

Q...Why did John send his disciples to ask this question of Jesus; what was it that John wanted to know?

Q...Why did Jesus answer the way he did; what was he trying to convey to John?

Surely the answer to John’s question must be found in the reply given by Jesus. He told John’s disciples to return to John and tell him about the works and the miracles that were being carried out!

Jesus was proving by actual deed that he was in fulfillment of something; it is my belief that he was confirming to his cousin John that he, Jesus, was the one prophesied to come in the spirit and power of Elijah. But in order to more perfectly understand, we need to research the powers and abilities of the original Old Testament Elijah. Whoever was destined to fulfill the prophecy in the time of Jesus and John would have the scriptural example of those powers to guide him.

Q...Have you ever taken the time and the trouble to search for yourself the scriptural account of Elijah -- and of Elisha who not only took up the mantle of Elijah but also inherited his powers?

Those who believe that John was the one who came in the spirit and the power of Elijah must ask themselves why it is that throughout the writings of the Apostles there is absolutely no mention of John ever exhibiting even one of Elijah’s powers!

Note: Next week I hope to complete this search into the identity of the Elijah to come with the posting of “Part 2” of “The Spirit and Power of Elijah.”