One of the most clear signs for the coming of Christ was given in the last chapter of the Old Testament…
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD — Malachi 4:5
This is what the Apostles were referring to when they asked Jesus…
…Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first? – Matthew 17:10
To which Jesus answered…
…But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished…
…Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist. – Matthew 17:12,13
This tells us right off that we need to be careful in how we interpret scripture.
John the Baptist had already been asked if he was Elijah…
Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” – John 1:21
Jesus indicated that John was Elijah, and that he was not recognized…
John said he was not Elijah indicating that it is not the actual person who returns, but rather the spirit and power of a particular message. – Luke 1:17…
It was assumed Elijah had been physically taken up to heaven in a whirlwind… – 2 Kings 2:1
Elijah did not return that way making it clear that the physical person is not involved with the idea of a “return”.
Many today believe Jesus himself will return on a physical cloud in the sky. – Acts 9:1-11
The story of John the Baptist is a call to be careful with our expectations and interpretations…
It shows us that by the time a prophecy is fulfilled, the interpretations of the clergy can be so far off the mark that the most important figures of history are rejected…
To this day the idea of Jesus being the Christ is scoffed at by the people whose prophecies he fulfilled…
Also, the various clergies of today with their interpretations, have kept their flocks from recognizing the second prophesied coming of Christ…
Jesus clearly spoke of another who would come to guide us. Luke 9:26, John 16:13
This is Baha’u’llah, who claimed to be the “Spirit of Truth” and who ruled upon the throne of David. –TOB, pg.12, POB, pg, 89.
For more information and proofs for Baha’u’llah, click the link below. (See “Baha’i Audio Firesides)
https://bahaiguardian.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/
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