Pictures of Christ - 15 - Elijah the prophet It is interesting to note that Elijah will feature in the prelude to the final conflict. "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD," Malachi 4:5. I believe that Elijah is one of the two witnesses who will appear in Jerusalem a very short time before the Saviour's return, Revelation 11:1-15 The Jews mistakenly saw only one coming of the Messiah and that in glory. They refused and still do, to believe the coming of the Messiah in humility as outlined in Isa 53, when He came as the Lamb of God, to take away the sins of His elect. Likewise, there was confusion over the coming of "Elijah" before the coming of the Lord and that confusion is to be found still and not just amongst the Jews! John the Baptist was the "Elijah" that was to come before the Saviour's first advent. "And he shall go before him (the Saviour) in the spirit and power of Elias, 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," Luke 1:17. "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist," Matt 17:11-13. Please note the future tense (Elijah) and the past tense (John the Baptist). John makes the matter clear. "And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not," John 1:21.