25 August | EVERYONE
"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” Malachi 4: 5,6
Many people in Jesus' day believed that He was the resurrected Elijah because of this prophecy of Malachi about the prophet's return to Earth before the "great and dreadful" day. They overlooked the fact that the "great and dreadful" day did not refer to the first coming of the Messiah but to the glorious appearance of Jesus on the occasion of His second coming.
Malachi chapter 4 begins: "‘For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘That will leave them neither root nor branch’" (v. 1). It is clear that this is the final day of this sinful world. But before it arrives, the message of revival and reformation preached by Elijah will once again be preached with unprecedented power.
That message will be the final call to humanity, an invitation to repentance and reform addressed to all who wish to prepare for the encounter with Jesus. It will be the sound of the trumpet that announces the coming of the King of kings and Lord of lords.
In the book of Revelation, it is announced: “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water’” (Revelation 14:6-7).
Take Action
What do you feel when you read about "the great and dreadful day"? Fear not, Jesus is your refuge and your deliverer! And He wants you to help others who do not know Him see this also.