The True Story of Jesus — Page 21
Chapter Four—Jesus as a Prophet of God 21 The Jewish divines also accused Jesus as for not believing in the prophecy mentioned in the Scriptures about the second coming of Elijah as. They believed that Elijah as had gone to Heaven bod- ily, as the Scripture stated, ‘There appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them. . . and Elijah went up by a whirl- wind into heaven. ’1 It is also stated, ‘Behold! I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. ’2 They therefore believed that Elijah as would descend bodily from Heaven before the advent of the Messiah, hence they used to taunt the followers of Jesus as by saying, ‘Where is Elijah? How can Jesus claim to be the Messiah when we haven’t seen Elijah yet descending from the sky?’ Once, when his disciples told him that the Jewish clergy mockingly inquire of them about the descent of Elijah as, Jesus as said, ‘I tell you that Elijah has already come, and people did not recognise him, but treated him just as they pleased. So also the son of man will suffer at their hands. Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist. ’3 Jesus as, being guided by God, understood this prophecy cor- rectly. He knew that Elijah as was never taken up to Heaven bodily and therefore would not descend bodily from Heaven. He seems to have been informed by God that the prophecy was fulfilled in the person of John as the Baptist; and by the second coming of Elijah as, it was meant that a person would come in the spirit and power of Elijah as. Jesus as understood that such prophecies were 1. II Kings 2:11 2. Malachi 4:5 3. Matthew 17:12–13