The Bible is very clear in giving the identity of the Elijah to come before the day of the Lord. Scriptures will show that Elijah turns the heart of God the Father to the children of Israel, and the hearts of the children of Israel to God the Father.

Mal 4:5  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.

The following verse is talking about turning God’s heart to the children of Israel, and vice versa.

Mal 4:6  And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.

Jesus Christ referred to John the Baptist as the Elijah ‘soon to come’ John the Baptist had already prepared the way for Christ; this is common knowledge. The fact that he would come in the future is hidden knowledge.

Mat 11:13  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

Mat 11:14  And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.

Mat 11:15  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

The following verses show that John, in the spirit of Elijah, had already come, and would come again sometime in the future and restore all things.

Mat 17:10  And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

Mat 17:11  Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.

Mat 17:12  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.”

Mat 17:13  Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

Once again, Elijah restores all things, and gives the true knowledge of the suffering of Christ.

Mar 9:11  And they asked Him, saying, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

Mar 9:12  Then He answered and told them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?

Mar 9:13  But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him.”

The following verses are about the time prior to the day of the Lord as quoted in Malachi. John the Baptist will come in the power of Elijah to prepare people for the return of God the Father.

Luk 1:16  And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

Luk 1:17  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.”

Jesus Christ’s description of John the Baptist verifies that he is capable of saving the world from destruction.

Mat 11:9  But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.

Mat 11:10  For this is he of whom it is written: ‘BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER BEFORE YOUR FACE, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.’

Mat 11:11  “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

John the Baptist is the resurrected messenger who prepares people for the coming of God the Father. The ‘Lord whom you seek’ is not God the Father, and it is not Christ; it is the Elijah to come. ‘Lord’ would be better translated as ‘master.’ The ‘Lord of Hosts’ doing the speaking is God the Father.

Mal 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.

Remember that John the Baptist is the only man who prevents utter destruction in the earth. He has to do his job thoroughly.

Mal 4:5  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.

Mal 4:6  And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.

Mal 3:2  “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap.

The correct temple worship is taught to the Levites.

Mal 3:3  He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness.

Once again; God will be pleased with the offerings.

Mal 3:4  “Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem Will be pleasant to the LORD, As in the days of old, As in former years.

God the Father will judge the sinners when He returns.

Mal 3:5  And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness Against sorcerers, Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, And against those who turn away an alien— Because they do not fear Me,” Says the LORD of hosts.

Mal 3:6  “For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.

The ordinances will be restored. God wants Israel to return to Him. This is part of Elijah’s commission. It is impossible to restore ordinances prior to this time, as they include people being put to death, and modern-day Israel will not obey God in any form at this time.

Mal 3:7  Yet from the days of your fathers You have gone away from My ordinances And have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” Says the LORD of hosts. “But you said, ‘In what way shall we return?’

Tithing is taught.

Mal 3:8  “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.

Mal 3:9  You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation.

Mal 3:10  Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.

Mal 3:11  “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the LORD of hosts;

Mal 3:12  And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the LORD of hosts.

Those who fear the Lord will reap the blessings.

Mal 3:13  “Your words have been harsh against Me,” Says the LORD, Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’

Mal 3:14  You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God; What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, And that we have walked as mourners Before the LORD of hosts?

Mal 3:15  So now we call the proud blessed, For those who do wickedness are raised up; They even tempt God and go free.’ ”

Mal 3:16  Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name.

Mal 3:17  “They shall be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him.”

Mal 3:18  Then you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between one who serves God And one who does not serve Him.

What beautiful knowledge; John the Baptist will suddenly appear in the temple, sometime after David builds it. John will then proceed to restore all things, and in doing so will turn our hearts to God the Father, and God’s heart back to us. Our future could not be in better hands.

The sons of Levi were separated to minister to God. They will do so again at the end time.

Deu 10:8  At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister to Him and to bless in His name, to this day.

The ordinances of Deut. 31 were given to the sons of Levi. This will happen again, thanks to John the Baptist, the end time Elijah.

Deu 31:9  So Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel.

This whole chapter needs to be read: God’s covenant of life and peace was with Levi. The Levites were faithful in the beginning, but they went astray. John the Baptist will restore this beautiful way of life.

Mal 2:4  Then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you, That My covenant with Levi may continue,” Says the LORD of hosts.

Mal 2:5  “My covenant was with him, one of life and peace, And I gave them to him that he might fear Me; So he feared Me And was reverent before My name.

Mal 2:6  The law of truth was in his mouth, And injustice was not found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and equity, And turned many away from iniquity.

Mal 2:7  “For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, And people should seek the law from his mouth; For he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.

The covenant of Levi has been corrupted; it will be restored.

Mal 2:8  But you have departed from the way; You have caused many to stumble at the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” Says the LORD of hosts.

It is well worth listing the words of the covenant with Levi, and the attitude of Levi.

Covenant of life and peace.

Fear of God [moral reverence.]

Law of truth.

No iniquity.

Lived with peace and equality.

Turn people from iniquity.

Protect and keep knowledge.

Keep the knowledge of God’s law.

God’s ambassador or messenger.

The Levites that went after idols will work at the temple, and minister to the people, but they shall not come near to God.

Eze 44:10  “And the Levites who went far from Me, when Israel went astray, who strayed away from Me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity.

Eze 44:11  Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, as gatekeepers of the house and ministers of the house; they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them.

Eze 44:12  Because they ministered to them before their idols and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity, therefore I have raised My hand in an oath against them,” says the Lord GOD, “that they shall bear their iniquity.

Eze 44:13  And they shall not come near Me to minister to Me as priest, nor come near any of My holy things, nor into the Most Holy Place; but they shall bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed.

Eze 44:14  Nevertheless I will make them keep charge of the temple, for all its work, and for all that has to be done in it.

The sons of Zadok that did not go astray, will minister to God Almighty.

Eze 44:15  “But the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood,” says the Lord GOD.

Eze 44:16  “They shall enter My sanctuary, and they shall come near My table to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge.

John the Baptist will have tremendous knowledge of temple worship, as his father had part in temple worship. John was a descendant of Aaron, which means he is a Levite.

Luk 1:5  There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

The course of Abijah is the eighth course for government of the sanctuary.

1Ch 24:5  Thus they were divided by lot, one group as another, for there were officials of the sanctuary and officials of the house of God, from the sons of Eleazar and from the sons of Ithamar.

1Ch 24:10  the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,

1Ch 24:19  This was the schedule of their service for coming into the house of the LORD according to their ordinance by the hand of Aaron their father, as the LORD God of Israel had commanded him.

The order of events becomes clear. The Israelites are brought back from captivity by God the Father, and King David. David then builds the temple, and John the Baptist suddenly appears, and begins to purge the sons of Levi. He then restores temple worship, and the covenant that God made with Levi. God enters the temple, and then goes back to heaven, most likely taking John and David with Him, as they don’t get involved with the little horn. The little horn enters the temple, and deceives some of the elders into instigating the abomination of desolation. God the Father returns to bring vengeance for the desecration of the temple. God then punishes those who were deceived, and rewards those who stayed faithful.