Elijah the Prophet by Dudley Marvin Canright

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 6, 1864

Elijah the Prophet.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

"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." Mal. iv, 5, 6.

Here is a promise, that before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, and when he is about to smite the earth with a curse, the Lord will send Elijah the prophet to do a certain work in the earth. We do not suppose that Elijah himself will come personally, but that it will be a person, or persons, in similar circumstances, doing a like work, by like means.

Some may think that John the Baptist fulfilled all this prophecy, but I do not think so, for the following reasons: 1. John himself said that he was not Elijah. "And they asked him, What then, art thou? Elias (Elijah)? And he said, I am not." John i, 21. 2. When asked who he was, he said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias." John i, 23. The angel said of him, "He shall go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah." Luke i, 23. 3. Elijah was to come and prepare the people for the great day of the Lord. But that day did not come in the time of John the Baptist; therefore he did not do that work. 4. He had but few of the prominent characteristics of Elijah; therefore he could not, and did not, fully accomplish the prophecy of Mal. iv, 5, 6. So we must look for a more complete fulfillment of this scripture just before the coming of the great day of the Lord.

In order that we may know when this prophecy is fulfilled, it will be necessary for us to understand the character and work of Elijah.

1. By reading 1 Kings xviii, we learn that he lived at a time when all the people had turned away from the true God, and were breaking the first commandment by worshiping Baal. They acknowledged the authority of the commandment, but taught that Baal was the God whom it required them to worship. Chap. xviii, 21.

2. While those who taught the popular religion were four hundred and fifty men, Elijah only had the courage to advocate an unpopular religion, and worship God according to the commandment. Verse 22.

3. He tried to turn the people back to keeping the law of God which they had forsaken. Verses 18, 36-39.

4. For this he was accused of being a "troubler of Israel," one who makes divisions, and confusion in the community. Verses 17, 18.

5. And because he persisted in so doing, the authorities finally took it up, and sought to slay him; but the Lord delivered him. Chap. xix, 1-5.

6. In 1 Kings xvii, we read that he prophesied that there should be no rain for three years. This happened according to his word. In chap. xviii, 22, he said, "I only remain a prophet of the Lord." Hence, together with his other characteristics, Elijah was also a prophet.

7. After he had suffered, and done the will of God, in reproving and condemning an apostate church, the Lord translated him to Heaven without tasting death. 2 Kings ii, 11. Thus ended his mission.

Now, do the Scriptures teach that a class of people, occupying a like position, and doing a similar work, will come in the last days to prepare the way for the second advent? We think that they do, and that we have a pledge of it in our text, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord," &c.

That that day is now at hand, we need not stop to argue. We now find a state of things similar to what existed in Elijah's time.

1. The professed church of God have departed from the Bible (2 Tim. iii, 1-5), and "have heaped to themselves teachers having itching ears, and they have turned away their ears from the truth, and are turned unto fables." 2 Tim. iv, 1-4. They recognize (generally) the authority of the ten commandments, the fourth of which says that the seventh day is the Sabbath and must be kept holy. But they say that the first day the Sabbath, and must be kept holy. Thus they virtually make void the commandment of God by their tradition. So it was in the time of Elijah, only then it was the first commandment, and now it is the fourth.

2. Those who teach this popular fable are indeed "four hundred and fifty men," while there is only once in a while one here and there who dares to lift up his voice against it, and keep all the commandments of God. Just so it was with Elijah.

3. These few who "tremble at the word of the Lord," and "have respect unto all his commandments," are trying to turn the people back to the law of God which they have forsaken. So did Elijah.

4. Because it breaks up old customs, and crosses the path of ease and pleasure, professors cry out that they are making disturbance in community, confusion in society, division in families, &c. This is the main argument against them. But so Ahab said to Elijah: "Art thou he that troubleth Israel?" Mark the answer. "I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim." So it is to-day. A popular church proclaims these men of God to be "troublers of Israel," while the real "trouble" is in themselves, because they "have forsaken the commandments of the Lord" and will not return to them.

5. Already churchmen begin to threaten to enact laws and use force against these bigots (?) who work on the Christian (?) Sabbath. From Rev. xiii, 14-17, it is evident that they will ultimately carry these threats into execution. They did the same to Elijah.

6. Elijah was a prophet, and the promise says, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet," &c. Hence, in fulfillment of this promise, there must come in the last days a class of people doing the work of Elijah, and having the gift of prophecy among them. But we have direct testimony on this point in Rev. xii, 17. "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." We also offer this text as evidence on all the points that we have made before. Now notice, 1. Here is the woman representing the church. See verses 1-6. 2. The remnant are the last end; hence we have here a description of the last generation of the church, or those who are alive when the Lord comes. Now mark their peculiarities: 1. They are described as those "which keep the commandments of God," the fourth not excepted. 2. "And have the testimony of Jesus." In chap. xix, 10, the angel says to John, "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Then, truly, the remnant church will be like Elijah in keeping all the commandments of God, and having the gift of prophecy. Compare 1 Kings xviii, 17, 18, 22, with Rev. xii, 17. Will our opponents please think on these points? But for this, the dragon makes war with them. Rev. xii, 17. So Jezebel sought Elijah's life for the same reason. 1 Kings xix, 1-5.

7. After warning a fallen church and a godless world of the wrath to come, the "remnant" will be translated without tasting death. 1 Thess. iv, 14-17. So was Elijah. This will complete their likeness to him.

In conclusion, we can but exclaim, What a striking and beautiful likeness there is between "Elijah the prophet," and the "remnant" who are now preparing for translation into God's everlasting kingdom!

D. M. CANRIGHT.

Battle Creek, Mich.