Alan Dean, retired Seventh-day Adventist pastor
In Malachi 4: 5 is a significant verse concerning the second coming of Jesus: “Behold, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” So, are we to expect a return of Elijah to earth before Jesus comes? Not likely, but it is saying we are to expect to hear a similar message given before Jesus comes again.
So, what was Elijah’s message in his day? As with most prophets of the Old Testament, his message was one of warning of coming disaster if the nation of Israel did not get right with God. Many people in his day were professing to be faithful to God, while living a life similar to the pagan nations around them. God, through Elijah, was telling them that they would pay a stiff price if things didn’t change.
This warning of Elijah came to a climax on Mount Carmel when he declared to his fellow Israelites: “‘How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him, but if Baal, follow him.’ But the people answered him not a word.” 1 Kings 18:21. It wasn’t until the fire came down from heaven that the people shouted, “The Lord, He is God.”
The Elijah message in our day is very similar. We need to choose to be loyal to God 100% or go with the gods of this world. Jesus Himself said “no one can serve two masters …. You cannot serve God and mammon (riches).” One way to check our loyalty to God is to evaluate how we are doing as His stewards (managers) of our time, our talents, our finances, our possessions, and our own body. These are all given to us by God, and He asks us to be faithful to Him in our use of them. We are not to selfishly use them for ourselves alone, but rather use them for developing our relationship with Him and to serve others and to share God’s love with them. When we do, we discover that we are experiencing the abundant life that Jesus promises us in John 10:10.
