The prophet Malachi ends the Old Testament with a tremendous verse; Malachi 4:5-6 (ESV)
5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”
There is a continuity between Jesus’ first coming and His second coming. It seems to be that the “Spirit of Elijah” will precede both advents. . In Jesus’ first, the “Spirit of Elijah” was realized in John the Baptist. He was the 2nd cousin of the Lord Jesus and was filled with the Spirit from the womb. His main role was “a voice crying in the wilderness’ to “prepare the way of the Lord!” His baptism was unto repentance (Matt. 3:11). It was a clear trumpet call to make ready for Jesus’ coming. He came on the scene and confronted the immorality of King Herod for divorcing his wife and marrying his brother’s wife. The “Spirit of Elijah” always confronts the ruling principalities to shake them up as His appearing draws near (see the first Elijah) Its time for the “Spirit of Elijah” to rise up in this generation. The weapons of our warfare are prayer and declaration as the Spirit gives us unction. James 5 gives us a peak into the original Elijah’s methodology; James 5:16-17 (ESV)
“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit”
Fervent and effectual prayer is important. Fervent means persistent. Effectual means praying what’s on God’s heart, not personal opinion. It takes time to wait on the Lord and hear His voice. As believers, we must take responsibility for the condition of our world and nation and begin to rise up in the calling of God on our lives to prepare those around us for Jesus’ soon return. I encourage you, let the “Spirit of Elijah” rise up in you and begin. to see God change the culture around you.