The Mission of Elijah
The mission of Elijah is a prophetic mission foretold through the life of the prophet Elijah and the writings of the Old Testament prophets in the Bible. It is connected to John the Baptist, who baptized Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago, and ultimately to the prophecy of the Second Coming Christ, who will appear in the last days.
Elijah was a prophet who lived in the 9th century B.C. during the time of the divided kingdom of Israel. Long after his ascension, God spoke through the prophet Malachi, declaring that He would send Elijah again in the future and also send His messenger to prepare the way for the LORD.
The mission of Elijah is to restore the fallen truth and to testify about the Messiah who is to come after Him. The first fulfillment of this prophecy was John the Baptist, who testified about the Messiah 2,000 years ago. However, the complete mission of Elijah will be fulfilled by Christ, who will come a second time into the world before the Last Judgment.
The History and Prophecy of Elijah’s Mission
The mission of Elijah can be understood through both his actual historical events and the prophecies recorded in the Old Testament.
Repairing the Ruined Altar
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During the time of the prophet Elijah, the northern Kingdom of Israel fell into idol worship like Baal and Asherah under the influence of King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of Sidon. As a punishment, there was a drought in the land of Israel. Three years after the drought, Elijah confronted 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah on Mount Carmel. The challenge was simple: both sides would offer a sacrifice—one in the name of the LORD and the other in the name of Baal—and the true God would be revealed by answering with fire from heaven.
First, the prophets of Baal killed a bull and put it on the altar. They cried out the name of Baal from morning until the time for the evening sacrifice, but nothing happened. After Elijah told the people to come near and watch, he repaired the altar of the LORD, which had been ruined due to Israel’s idolatry. He dug a trench around the altar, placed the burnt offering on it, and poured so much water over it that it filled the trench. At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah prayed earnestly to God: “Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Immediately, fire fell from heaven, consuming the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the soil, and even the water in the trench. The people fell face down and cried out: “The LORD—He is God!” Elijah then commanded the people to seize the prophets of Baal, and they were executed.[1] Finally, after three and a half years, the drought ended and rain fell upon the land.[2]
Elijah revealed that the LORD is the true God, repaired the ruined altar of God, and turned the hearts of the people back to God. Similarly, the prophetic Elijah in the last days has the mission of restoring God’s truth—which has been lost over time—and turning people’s hearts back to God.
Testifying About the Messiah to Come
The prophecy about the mission of Elijah is found in the Old Testament, specifically in the books of Isaiah and Malachi.
A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. . . . You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!” . . . He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
Isaiah prophesied that the LORD God Himself would come to the world as a Shepherd to lead His flock (a metaphor for the saints). Before His coming, there would be a voice calling in the wilderness to prepare the way for the LORD. The one who brings this good news proclaims: “Here is your God!”—revealing that God has come to the world.
The prophet Malachi also spoke of someone who would come before the LORD to prepare His way. In Malachi 3, this forerunner is referred to as “the messenger of God.” This “messenger of God” in Malachi 3 is directly connected to “Elijah” mentioned in Malachi 4.
“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the LORD you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty.
“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents.”
The mission of Elijah, prophesied through the prophets, is to come and prepare the way for God before He comes into this world, and then to proclaim to the world, “Here is your God!” when God comes.
John the Baptist
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The first prophetic figure to receive Elijah’s mission was John the Baptist. As God’s messenger sent to prepare the way, John the Baptist testified that Jesus Christ was the Messiah who had come into the world.[3]
God’s Messenger Who Prepared the Way for the LORD
Before Jesus began preaching the gospel, John the Baptist cried out in the wilderness, “Repent,” calling the people to confess their sins and turn back to God. He baptized those who repented. He wore a robe made of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, which was a symbolic resemblance to the prophet Elijah’s appearance in the past.[4]
[A]s it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way—a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ” And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
When people asked John the Baptist if he was the Christ, he answered, “There is one coming after me.” Finally, when Jesus came to him, John baptized Him and declared that Jesus was the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” revealing Him as the Savior.
John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ . . . I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” . . . The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ . . . I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel. . . . I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”
John the Baptist explained that the purpose of his baptism was to reveal the man who would come after him, referring to Jesus. As prophesied in Isaiah 40, “Here is your God,” John’s key mission as Elijah was to testify about God, who would come after him to carry out the work of salvation.
Elijah Whom the World Did Not Recognize
Jesus revealed that Elijah, who was prophesied in the books of Isaiah and Malachi, was John the Baptist.
“This is the one about whom it is written: ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ . . . For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he (John the Baptist) is the Elijah who was to come.”
The Jewish religious leaders were well aware that Elijah would come before Christ. However, they failed to recognize John the Baptist as the fulfillment of that prophecy.[5] Since the prophet Elijah had ascended to heaven in a chariot of fire and horses,[6] they expected the prophesied Elijah to return in the same way. However, without their knowledge, both Elijah and Christ had already been born into the world. John the Baptist, as Elijah, proclaimed the coming of the Savior at the Jordan River, while Christ, in the flesh, suddenly began preaching the gospel.
The Remaining Mission of Elijah
John the Baptist testified about Christ, as the prophet who received the mission of Elijah. However, he only fulfilled part of Elijah’s prophecy. Elijah, prophesied in Malachi 4, must appear just before Judgment Day, when all the wicked will be destroyed. Additionally, when Elijah would appear, God commands people to remember the statutes and laws given to Moses at Horeb. However, the time of John the Baptist’s appearance was different from the prophecy, and he never emphasized the Law of Moses. This indicates that another Elijah must come to completely fulfill the prophecy of Malachi 4.
Second Coming Christ
Elijah Who Will Appear Before the Last Judgment
The Bible prophesies about Elijah, who will come just before the Last Judgment.
“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the LORD Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.” . . . “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents.”
The Elijah prophesied in Malachi 4 is not meant to appear 2,000 years ago, but rather before the Last Judgment, a day described as a great and dreadful day of fire when all the wicked will be judged. Jesus prophesied that He would return on the clouds—meaning in human form—at a time when the final judgment is near, to bring salvation to His people.[7] This signifies that the Second Coming Jesus will appear with the mission of Elijah.
Restoration of the Lost Truth
God declared that when Elijah appears before the Last Judgment, people should remember the law of Moses, the decrees and laws He gave Moses.
“Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.”
John the Baptist only baptized people for repentance, but he never specifically emphasized the law. This confirms that the mission of Elijah will be completely fulfilled when the Second Coming Jesus appears. Jesus prophesied that when He comes a second time, there will be no one who has faith on the earth.[8] After the death of Jesus and the apostles, the truth of salvation and the new covenant that Jesus established all disappeared, and the world was filled with doctrines derived from sun-god worship, such as Sunday worship and Christmas.
The prophet Elijah, during the time of rampant Baal worship in the northern Kingdom of Israel, stood alone against Baal’s prophets and rebuilt God’s altar, turning the hearts of the people back to God. Similarly, the Second Coming Jesus, who comes with the mission of Elijah, will stand alone against false prophets who spread false doctrines. He will restore the new covenant—the law of salvation—leading God’s people back to Him.[9]
Testifying About the Savior to Come After Him
The main mission of Elijah is to reveal the Savior who will come after Him.[10][11] John the Baptist, who carried out the mission of Elijah 2,000 years ago, prepared the way for Jesus in the wilderness and revealed Jesus to the people.
Second Coming Christ appears with the mission of Elijah before the Last Judgment. This means that there will be another Savior who will come after Him.
Christ Ahnsahnghong Carried Out the Mission of Elijah
Christ Ahnsahnghong fulfilled the mission of Elijah in this age. Christ Ahnsahnghong restored the truth that had been lost in the Dark Ages, and revealed God the Mother, the essence of all truth.
Restoration of the Truth of the New Covenant
Two thousand years ago, God came into this world as a man to give life to humanity, and He established the truth of the new covenant for salvation.[12] However, as the church became secularized after the Apostolic Age, the truth gradually disappeared. After the Sunday law was enacted in A.D. 321, the Sabbath was no longer observed, and in A.D. 325, the Passover was abolished at the Council of Nicaea. In the 16th century, Martin Luther led the Reformation to expose the corruption of the Catholic Church, but he did not restore the truth. Even 500 years after the Reformation, countless churches and denominations exist today, yet they merely uphold their own interpretations of the Bible instead of preserving the truth according to the Scriptures.
In this age, when there was no truth, Christ Ahnsahnghong restored the perfect truth of the early Church that Jesus had preached and the apostles had kept.[13] He revived God’s law of the new covenant, including the Sabbath, the Passover, the seven feasts in three times, baptism, and the regulation on women’s veil. He also abolished non biblical doctrines that many churches had followed without question and laid the foundation for true faith.
Just as Elijah restored the ruined altar of God, Christ Ahnsahnghong, who came with the mission of Elijah, restored the truth of the new covenant and led the saints to salvation.
Testimony of God the Mother Who Was to Come
Two thousand years ago, John the Baptist, fulfilling the mission of Elijah, testified about the Savior who was to come—Jesus. Christ Ahnsahnghong, who came as Elijah in the last days, also testified about God the Mother, the Savior who would come after Him, following the mission of Elijah.
Unsealing the Seven Thunders, 1955
In the preface of Unsealing the Seven Thunders, the first book of truth written in 1955, Christ Ahnsahnghong wrote that someone would come after Him.
“ I neither speak these words of my own accord, nor did I learn them from others, but it was only our Lord Jesus Christ who shone the light on me. When He gave the light to me, the world was in the dark of night. He shone His light throughout the four corners of the world, but there was no one to receive the light, so finally it was shone on me. And there is one more person. She is still a child. She is to appear after me. When the time comes, she will appear. “ — Ahnsahnghong, from the preface of the book, Unsealing the Seven Thunders, published in 1955
Christ Ahnsahnghong stated that the Ones who received the light in the world were Himself and “one more person” who was still a child. The one more person refers to God the Mother who came in the flesh and was a child at that time. From the beginning of His ministry, Christ Ahnsahnghong foretold another Savior, Heavenly Mother, who would appear after Him, and prepared the way for Her.
The Mystery of God and the Spring of the Water of Life, 1980
In The Mystery of God and the Spring of the Water of Life, too, which was published in 1980, He revealed the appearance of God the Mother.
“ On the sixth day, God made livestock and wild animals, and He created Adam and Eve last of all (Ge 1:24–31). The Bible says that Adam was a pattern of the one to come [Jesus] (Ro 5:14). It also says that the first man [Adam] was of the dust of the earth and the second man [Jesus] from Heaven (1 Co 15:44–49). In Rev 22:17, the last Adam and Eve are called the Spirit and the Bride. Rev 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
The above prophecy shows that Jesus—the second Adam—who came 1,900 years ago will come in the flesh again in the last days and lead all the animals [Gentiles]. The Bible calls the Gentiles who are to be saved, “all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air” (Ac 10:1–16; Ac 10:24–29). . . . The last Adam and Eve represent the Spirit and the Bride. On the last day, the Spirit and the Bride will appear and lead all the animals [the Gentiles].
“ — Ahnsahnghong, The Mystery of God and the Spring of the Water of Life, Church of God, 1980
The first humans, Adam and Eve, were created on the last day of the six-day Creation and ruled over all the animals.[14] It is prophesied that the reality of Adam and Eve is the Spirit (Second Coming Jesus) and the Bride, who will appear at the end of the 6,000-year work of redemption. The saints who will receive salvation are represented as all the animals, and the Bride, God the Mother, the Savior, is represented as Eve, who rules over all the animals along with Adam. This is a testimony to God the Mother who will lead the saints after the work of the Second Coming Christ, who is the Holy Spirit.
Sermon, Walking with God
In the sermons Christ Ahnsahnghong left, there is much evidence that reveals Heavenly Mother. One of the clearest pieces of evidence is a handwritten sermon note titled “Walking with God.”
“ Elisha followed Elijah,
Joshua followed Moses,
Peter followed Jesus,
and I follow Mother.“ — Ahnsahnghong, from a sermon titled “Walking With God”
This sermon begins with the words, “I have set you an example” (Jn 13:13–15). This passage records Jesus’ words: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”[15] This means that everything Jesus did was an example for His disciples to follow in order to receive salvation. Likewise, the work of Second Coming Christ Ahnsahnghong is also an example for the saints in this age.
Christ Ahnsahnghong set an example of salvation, saying, “I follow Mother.” This means that in this age, there is God the Mother whom the saints must follow, and only by believing in Her and following Her guidance can one receive salvation.
The Last Passover in 1984
Just as Jesus established the new covenant and granted eternal life on His last Passover just before His sacrifice on the cross 2,000 years ago, Christ Ahnsahnghong revealed God the Mother at His last Passover on April 15, 1984, as His 37-year gospel ministry was drawing to a close as the prophetic David.
He chose a wedding hall as the venue for the Passover. During the worship, He had the blue and red wedding candles, symbolizing the bridegroom and the bride, lit on both sides of the pulpit. This was to reveal the Bride, God the Mother, who was prophesied to appear alongside the Lamb (the Second Coming Christ) at the heavenly wedding banquet.[16] On May 18 of that year, He further affirmed the existence of Heavenly Mother by holding carnations, a symbol of parental love, and taking a photograph together as the Spirit and the Bride.
According to the mission of Elijah, Second Coming Christ Ahnsahnghong opened the spring of the water of life for humanity by revealing God the Mother, the Savior who would come after Him.
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
See also
External links
References
- ↑ "1 Kings 18:1–40".
- ↑ "James 5:17–18".
- ↑ "Luke 1:76–77".
- ↑ "2 Kings 1:8".
- ↑ "Matthew 17:10–13".
- ↑ "2 Kings 2:11".
- ↑ "Luke 21:27–28".
- ↑ "Luke 18:8".
- ↑ "John 10:16".
- ↑ "Isaiah 40:3, 9–11".
- ↑ "Malachi 3:1".
- ↑ "John 10:10".
- ↑ [Special Feature ● Luther's 500 Years of Religious Reformation – Church of God and Truth in the Bible] What are they believing and practicing?, Monthly JoongAng, November 17, 2017
- ↑ "Genesis 1:26–28".
- ↑ "John 13:13–15".
- ↑ "Revelation 19:7–9".