In this chapter, we will look at how John the Baptist’s
inter-generational ministry described in Malachi 4:5-6 paved the way for Jesus’
first coming. Then will we consider whether this passage could also have a
special application as we approach His second coming.
Malachi 4:5-6 says:
“Behold,
I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and
terrible day of the Lord. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their
children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not
come and smite the land with a curse.”
This prophecy, fulfilled by John the Baptist (see Luke 1:17),
was the last statement of scripture written in the Old Testament. For 400
years, Israel watched and waited with its national destiny hinged upon these
words. For some reason, this father-child restoration was foundational to
preparing the way for Christ. Why?
Jesus’ coming marked the transition between the Old Covenant
and the New Covenant. When this transition took place, there were two
generations present. John’s ministry acted like a bridge between them. As the
last prophet of the Old Covenant, he honored the older generation by leading a
revival based on the timeless message of personal repentance and the holiness
of God revealed through the law. But he also pointed to another coming revival
led by Someone greater than him. This Person would do and teach things no one
alive could fully imagine. He would baptize people with the Holy Spirit. He
would usher in a new dispensation. He would unveil the long-hidden administration
of God’s grace and mercy. This was John’s dual message.
John honored both what God did in the past and the new thing
He was going to do. He prepared fathers and mothers to receive the new, while
at the same time helping sons and daughters esteem what God had done in their
nation’s history. Thus, John’s revival brought families together in a way that
no other message could have. Without John’s message, it is possible that the
older generation in its entirety would have rejected Jesus’ ministry, unable to
see past the Pharisees’ intense opposition. This could have sowed a deep
generational division into the nation, compromising the foundation of the early
church.
Jesus’ ministry was going to be difficult for the older
generation to accept since it was largely different from anything they had been
taught or experienced in the past. However, virtually all of Israel considered
John a prophet. They all went out into the wilderness to hear him preach and to
be baptized by him. Therefore, John’s declaration that Jesus was the Promised
One gave credibility to Jesus’ message. It helped people be open to Jesus who
might otherwise have sided with the Pharisees. This is why, when the Pharisees
asked Jesus where He got the authority to do the things He was doing, He
pointed back to one who prepared the way for Him, saying, “Was the baptism
of John from heaven or from men?” (Luke 20:4)
Is There An Application to the Second Coming?
After marriage, the relationship between parents and children
is the most foundational building block of God’s kingdom on earth. Parents can
only become all they were meant to be by serving their children and helping
them lay a strong foundation. And children can only become all they were meant
to be by honoring their parents and building upon the foundations they received
from them. Parents and children need one another. Therefore, the ministry of
restoring the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the
children to the fathers could be especially valuable in the years and decades
leading up to the Lord’s return, just as it was for His first coming.
In some ways, Jesus’ return will be much more cataclysmic
than His First Coming. The outworking of His First Coming took place mostly
inside people’s hearts – the indwelling and baptism of the Holy Spirit; the
expression of spiritual gifts; the inclusion of gentiles in the salvation plan.
Dramatic, yes, but still mostly invisible to the naked eye.
However, Jesus’ second coming, if the futurists are correct,
will culminate with an innumerable army of fiery angels and glorified saints
descending from heaven in plain sight to take political authority over the
whole earth for one thousand years. Can anyone even begin to grasp what this
will be like?
Ever since the fall, God’s plan has been that His will would
be done and His kingdom would come on earth just as it is in heaven. However,
His kingdom has been coming to the earth in stages. The establishment of the
Old Covenant under Moses was one stage. The establishment of the New Covenant
through the cross was another stage. The next stage will be Jesus returning to
rule over the earth as the King of Kings. The final stage (again, if the
futurists are correct) will be the Father coming to dwell with mankind on the
renewed earth after the 2nd resurrection and final judgment (Revelation 20-21).
Similar to the ministry of John the Baptist, perhaps the
church will declare a dual message in the last days that combines the timeless
message of the cross with the soon-coming reality of Christ’s political rule
over the earth. Of course, there has been a good deal of teaching about this in
many generations. Every Christmas when we sing Joy to the World, we are
reminded that saints in the early 1700s eagerly looked forward to Christ’s
reign just like we do. But perhaps this message will increase all the more as
we near His return. Perhaps the message of Jesus’ rule will combat the enemy’s
rising counterfeits of a secular trans-humanist utopia or global New Age
spiritual leaders or Islamic legalistic conformity.
Beginning with Adam and Seth, the advance of God’s kingdom on
earth has often been built upon a foundation of family. There is a powerful
spiritual synergy that occurs when generations stand together in unity.
Therefore, it would not be surprising if this synergy helps strengthen the
church in the years leading up to the Lord’s return, just as it did for His
first coming.
Next
We have reached the final chapter of the book. In the last
chapter, we will discuss the concept of “sowing generational seeds”. We will
learn how this concept impacted the first century and how it impacts the church
in our time.