Question:  Dear Greg,

            Why is John the Baptist compared to Elijah?  It sounds like the spirit of Elijah was in John.

            Treda

Answer:  Dear Treda,

            Elijah was one of the primary Old Testament prophets.  He was chief of the prophets who did not contribute to the Old Testament, by their writing, and was a forerunner of those who did (Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.).  His ministry was powerful and legendary in terms of the kinds of obstacles and challenges he faced and the reforms he initiated.  He was considered to be on a par with Moses (see Matthew 17) although Moses’ ministry was very different.  There are, nonetheless, many parallels between Moses and Elijah.

            His ministry was spoken of as being revived (Malachai 4:5-6) before the coming of the Lord.  Jesus indicated that the prophecy of Malachai was fulfilled by John the Baptist (see Matthew 11:14 and Matthew 17:12).  John the Baptist’s ministry fulfilled this prophecy, but his ministry to repentance, to change, to reformation, against seemingly impossible circumstances reminded the Jews of what they had heard and read of Elijah.

            In Christ,

            Greg Albrecht