“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD” Malachi 4:5.
What is the great and dreadful day of the Lord? Let us again turn to Mal. 3:1-4.
“Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.” Malachi 3: 1-4.
No doubt you have heard many sermons on the Elijah Message but generally speaking those sermons were designed to boost you to go out and do more missionary work among the unbelievers.
Let us ever remember that Elijah was not sent with a message to the heathen as Jonah was, but to the back-sliding house of Israel. Likewise, the true Antitypical Elijah message must be directed to the modern day House of Israel, the Laodicean Church (the SDA) in her lukewarm condition. Speaking of this awesome event Joel warned us:
“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, [even] to the years of many generations.” Joel 2: 1, 2.
No peace and safety message could cause the church members to tremble, it must be a life and death message such as the refiner’s fire- the Elijah message. We observe in Joel 2:2 that during this “Great and Dreadful Day of the Lord,” a great people and a strong will appear on the scene of action. These are none other than the 144,000 sealed and saved and invulnerable to death, proclaiming the Loud Cry under the Pentecostal Holy Spirit power, and speaking all languages. (See Zechariah 8:23). Describing this fascinating group of people, Joel continue to say:
“A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land [is] as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. The appearance of them [is] as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and [when] they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.” Joel 2:3-10.
A MESSAGE TO THE CHURCH
Concerning the deliverance of this Antitypical Elijah message to the church, Ezekiel says:
“And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them. For thou [art] not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, [but] to the house of Israel; Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel [are] impudent and hardhearted.” Ezekiel 3:4-7.
“The message to the church of the Laodiceans is a startling denunciation, and is applicable to the people of God at the present time. {3 Testimonies for the Church, pg. 252.1}.
“The Lord here shows us that the message to be borne to His people by ministers whom He has called to warn the people is not a peace‑and‑safety message. It is not merely theoretical, but practical in every particular. The people of God are represented in the message to the Laodiceans as in a position of carnal security. They are at ease, believing themselves to be in an exalted condition of spiritual attainments. “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” {3 Testimonies for the Church, pg. 252.3}.
“In my last vision I was shown that even this decided message of the True Witness had not accomplished the design of God. The people slumber on in their sins.
“They continue to declare themselves rich and having need of nothing. Many inquire: Why are all these reproofs given? Why do the Testimonies continually charge us with backsliding and with grievous sins? We love the truth; we are prospering; we are in no need of these testimonies of warning and reproof. But let these murmurers see their hearts and compare their lives with the practical teachings of the Bible, let them humble their souls before God, let the grace of God illuminate the darkness, and the scales will fall from their eyes, and they will realize their true spiritual poverty and wretchedness.” {3 Testimonies for the Church, pg. 254.2}.
“Ministers who are preaching present truth should not neglect the solemn message to the Laodiceans. The testimony of the True Witness is not a smooth message.” {3 Testimonies to the Church, pg. 257.2}.
“I saw that the testimony of the True Witness has not been half heeded. The solemn testimony upon which the destiny of the church hangs has been lightly esteemed, if not entirely disregarded. This testimony must work deep repentance; all who truly receive it will obey it and be purified.” {Early Writings, pg. 270.3}.
Do you want to be saved in God’s eternal Kingdom? You must take heed to this antitypical Elijah’s message. There is no alternative. Early Writings page 270 says the destiny of the church hangs on this message. How will you stand in that great day? The Spirit of Prophecy makes this fearful prediction.
“I have tried in the fear of God to set before His people their danger and their sins, and have endeavored, to the best of my feeble powers, to arouse them. I have stated startling things, which, if they had believed, would have caused them distress and terror, and led them to zeal in repenting of their sins and iniquities. I have stated before them that, from what was shown me, but a small number of those now professing to believe the truth would eventually be saved‑‑not because they could not be saved, but because they would not be saved in God’s own appointed way.” {2 Testimonies for the Church, pg. 445.2}.
“The leaven of godliness has not entirely lost its power. At the time when the danger and depression of the church are greatest, the little company who are standing in the light will be sighing and crying for the abominations that are done in the land. But more especially will their prayers arise in behalf of the church because its members are doing after the manner of the world.” {5 Testimonies to the Church, pg. 209.3}.
The object of Elijah’s message is to warn the church that the Lord is soon to suddenly come to cleanse and purify the House of God.
Zephaniah describes the “Great and Dreadful Day” as follows:
“And it shall come to pass at that time, [that] I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil. Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit [them]; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof. The great day of the LORD [is] near, [it is] near, and hasteth greatly, [even] the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day [is] a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,..” Zephaniah 1:12-15. Will you not now, Brother/Sister, join us in ‘blowing this trumpet in Zion’ even though we may be ostracized for doing so. But let us be reminded of the following words of counsel:
“The great obstacle both to the acceptance and to the promulgation of truth is the fact that it involves inconvenience and reproach. This is the only argument against the truth which its advocates have never been able to refute. But this does not deter the true followers of Christ. These do not wait for truth to become popular. Being convinced of their duty, they deliberately accept the cross, with the apostle Paul counting that “our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” with one of old, “esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt.” 2 Corinthians 4:17; Hebrews 11:26.” {The Great Controversy, pg. 460}.
“Every soul must look to God with contrition and humility, that He may guide and lead and bless. We must not trust to others to search the Scriptures for us. Some of our leading brethren have frequently taken their position on the wrong side; and if God would send a message and wait for these older brethren to open the way for its advancement, it would never reach the people.” {Gospel Workers, pg. 303}.
“No one has said that we shall find perfection in any man’s investigations; but this I do know, that our churches are dying for the want of teaching on the subject of righteousness by faith in Christ, and on kindred truths.
“No matter by whom light is sent, we should open our hearts to receive it with the meekness of Christ. But many do not do this. When a controverted point is presented, they pour in question after question, without admitting a point when it is well sustained. O, may we act as men who want light! May God give us His Holy Spirit day by day, and let the light of His countenance shine upon us, that we may be learners in the school of Christ.
Why do you think you have not heard sermons being preached from the pulpit on the purification of the church in connection with the Sealing of the 144,000?