It was misunderstood and taught that the actual and historic Elijah who never died was going to return bodily from his heavenly estate of preservation before the appearing of the Messiah.
In Mark 9:12 Jesus gives them a direct answer and He points out how the leaders who are confused by the prophecy about Elijah coming first are also uninformed in the scriptures concerning His crucifixion and resurrection. (verse 12b that He must suffer many things and be set at nought.)
Three of the disciples had just been with Jesus on the mountain of transfiguration where they had seen Him talking to Moses and the actual historic Elijah who never died. The two of them Moses and Elijah were together in the same state of preservation though Moses had died and Elijah had not.
Because the disciples were keenly aware of the controversy, and they had just witnessed Elijah in person, they posed their question in this way, why then, (in view of the revelation we have just witnessed) do the scribes say you cannot be the Messiah because Elijah must come first?
To which Jesus gave the clear explanation that the prophecy in fact had been fulfilled by John the Baptist who had come in the Spirit and power of Elijah, though John himself retains forever his own unique identity as also does the actual prophet Elijah.
The Spirit of Elijah is the same Spirit of Christ by whom John the Baptist was filled in his mother's womb, at the moment of Mary's conception, without disturbing the unique identity of the historic Elijah from his place of preservation and eternal person in identity, we can perceive as Jesus explained that John the Baptist fulfilled that prophecy, and how this is true by the ministry of the Holy Spirit that commissioned him.
There are still many who teach we should expect Elijah to come before the return of Jesus.
Like John and Jesus in the generation of His first appearing, there are two witness prophets described in Revelation 11 who give their testimony before the beast arises from the pit and makes war with them in the generation of the Lord's return.
There are many speculations that they may be Enoch and Elijah or a pairing of other two of the former prophets. I believe these speculations can be biblically proven to be in error and these false assertions envelope a great distraction from the truth, even tending to the strong delusion.
By what agency of biblical origin would Elijah or any other prophet be reconstituted in a natural body fit again for our nature and environment before the return of Jesus, since he (Elijah) and all that have passed before us, were since then and until now clearly and presently preserved in another state through Christ as witnessed by the disciples on the Mount of transfiguration?
Enoch like Elijah never died, he walked with God and was not, he was changed from his original, historic and first natural state, because God took him into another state of preservation with Him, until all the saints are perfected and become as Jesus is.
Why would Enoch and Elijah ever have to be reconstituted to their former and historic first nature estate and die the appointed death when God first spared them from it through Jesus Christ?
Jesus took upon His flesh the original appointment for a man once to die, as issued from the Garden over Adam and all born in nature, in gift of natural body, and breath of life by procreation.
God sustains the natural process and procreation and the continued stigma of death since Jesus resurrection and exaltation to heaven during this time until the end, for the proliferation of believers.
We, (every human being) must necessarily and sovereignly, first be equally created from the moment of conception a body in nature before we can be born again in new creation by His Spirit, to receive eternal life and blessed hope of His promise to clothe us with the greater body of immortality, by which we can dwell together with the Lord in the new heaven and the earth after death is vanquished over all.
As the bible clearly describes, all the former prophets have retained their own individual identities even John the Beloved who lay his head on Jesus chest is also with Him eternally and forever from his own death forward, and they three along with all who die in Christ daily are being preserved in Christ by the resurrection of Jesus as part of the great cloud of witnesses of Hebrews 12:22, Matt 27:52.
They too, will be filled with the Same Spirit of Christ that belongs exclusive to Jesus alone in full and particular receipt of the promise of the Father for His outpouring upon all flesh from heaven in His own name. In other words, all the prophets that came before up to and including John the Baptist, were empowered by the Spirit of Christ that ever belonged to and rested thereafter forever on Jesus, and invested fully in Him alone according to John's witness in John 1:32-34.
The Spirit of Christ before His incarnation empowered them, and His Holy Spirit empowers every believer forever thereafter, calling upon His name, for the outpouring of His express gift and exclusive witness from heaven.
Doesn't it make more sense that God will raise up two prophets born naturally into the generation of the Lord's return to make them His witnesses at the end of the age, by His own election and Spirit of revelation. A witness is made by what they are granted to see and hear. 2 Peter 1:16-21
Christ is that same Spirit of prophecy (Gen 1:3, Revelation 19:10) that inspires the testimony of Jesus in the two witness prophets of Revelation 11 whose place in time and process is reserved by the Father for the revelation of their unique and eternal identities at the proper time. Not two of the former prophets who have obtained their lot in eternal inheritance and are already known to be secured in preservation by Jesus Christ.
While it is true that God can and does do, whatever He pleases, it is also true that He doesn't do anything other than what He says He will do. It is enough for us to study to show ourselves approved of God in the proper understanding of His conversation, so that we don't need to be ashamed by any misstatement or misrepresentation. 2 Tim 2:15, 2:25
The beauty of Jesus in Kingdom from heaven, since His first coming in the flesh, is that He is yet alive to administrate His own Kingdom through the power of His resurrection, and He maintains His headship over the Church as the only resurrected man of all humanity during the remainder of natural procreation. He has not left His Kingdom to another, as someone who has died passes an inheritance on to another and has no further input, but He is yet alive and we live with Him in a partnership of His present Kingdom in mutual inheritance through a living trust in bridal identity.
As the bible clearly describes, all the former prophets have retained their own individual identities even John the Beloved who lay his head on Jesus chest is also with Him eternally and forever from his own death forward, and they three along with all who die in Christ daily are being preserved in Christ by the resurrection of Jesus as part of the great cloud of witnesses of Hebrews 12:22, Matt 27:52.
The two witness prophets spoken of will be created equal from the moment of their conception, and natural born, into the generation that the Lord will return and born again in the same process as every believer since Christ has appeared and ascended bodily immortal to heaven.
They too, will be filled with the Same Spirit of Christ that belongs exclusive to Jesus alone in full and particular receipt of the promise of the Father for His outpouring upon all flesh from heaven in His own name. In other words, all the prophets that came before up to and including John the Baptist, were empowered by the Spirit of Christ that ever belonged to and rested thereafter forever on Jesus, and invested fully in Him alone according to John's witness in John 1:32-34.
The Spirit of Christ before His incarnation empowered them, and His Holy Spirit empowers every believer forever thereafter, calling upon His name, for the outpouring of His express gift and exclusive witness from heaven.
Doesn't it make more sense that God will raise up two prophets born naturally into the generation of the Lord's return to make them His witnesses at the end of the age, by His own election and Spirit of revelation. A witness is made by what they are granted to see and hear. 2 Peter 1:16-21
Christ is that same Spirit of prophecy (Gen 1:3, Revelation 19:10) that inspires the testimony of Jesus in the two witness prophets of Revelation 11 whose place in time and process is reserved by the Father for the revelation of their unique and eternal identities at the proper time. Not two of the former prophets who have obtained their lot in eternal inheritance and are already known to be secured in preservation by Jesus Christ.
While it is true that God can and does do, whatever He pleases, it is also true that He doesn't do anything other than what He says He will do. It is enough for us to study to show ourselves approved of God in the proper understanding of His conversation, so that we don't need to be ashamed by any misstatement or misrepresentation. 2 Tim 2:15, 2:25
The beauty of Jesus in Kingdom from heaven, since His first coming in the flesh, is that He is yet alive to administrate His own Kingdom through the power of His resurrection, and He maintains His headship over the Church as the only resurrected man of all humanity during the remainder of natural procreation. He has not left His Kingdom to another, as someone who has died passes an inheritance on to another and has no further input, but He is yet alive and we live with Him in a partnership of His present Kingdom in mutual inheritance through a living trust in bridal identity.
We have access to all that belongs to Him by the resource of His Holy Spirit forming Christ in us, in likeness to His glorious person in communion of one Spirit, one body, one faith, with one mouth to the praise of His glory and advancing Kingdom in us and through us, through prayer voluntary obedience and discovery in practical experience.
By giving us His Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us into all truth, even the immutable truth of His glory in the Body Immortal, we have access by a constant conversation of prayer in intimacy, if we keep asking Him, He will keep answering us and showing us things we never knew before, and making things that were before obscure, plain in the Light of His faithfulness in Love eternal and fully invested body of His own immortality as the firstborn of many brethren.
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