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Days of Elijah, Days of Ezekiel
By J. Jeff Toler for Shenandoah Christian Alliance j.toler@sca4christ.org
- And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. (Revelations 20:1-2 NIV)
If you spend much time on YouTube, and depending on your viewing preferences, there are many preachers and evangelists that are talking more and more about these future days. Given the history of the twentieth century, the phenomenon is not exactly new. (Search YouTube for “Greg Laurie” to see what he has to say.)
At any rate, Christians have good reason to think we are seeing the days we are living in as increasingly troubling. This is not entirely new based on my own personal experiences. About the time my daughter was born—she turned 39 this year, I recall more than few discussions about Christian eschatology: the study of theology regarding death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and humankind. By no means, were these were the only experiences that still resonate with me.
Around the time I was still a new Christian, my wife and I—before we were married—saw the limited release movie, “A Thief in the Night.” (1972) and maybe not so coincidentally, it was not long after, she became a believer. But, truth be told, it really bothered her for a long time. It’s available even now on DVD. [https://christianmovies.com/collections/a-thief-in-the-night-prophecy-series/products/a-thief-in-the-night-movie-dvd] I’m wondering if should get her a copy.
All three of the great religions of the earth speak of some form of end-times belief, but Christianity offers much more to say than the others on this subject. We understand the last days to be a period of time between Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension, and his second return. It’s also referred to as “the last times” (Jude 1:18; 1 Peter. 1:20), “the last hour” (1 John 2:18), or “the end of the ages” (1 Corinthians. 10:11).
In 1994, Robin Mark (pictured) wrote the song, “Days of Elijah.” In time, it became extremely popular, with other artists recording it including Judy Jacobs, Twila Paris, and many more. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca9LnzJnpjQ]
If it were possible to make some kind of comparison with today, are we now living in the Days of Elijah, or are we maybe living in the days of Ezekiel?
The last book of the Old Testament Bible provides this compelling prophecy: “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.” —Malachi 4:5-6
To this day, during the Jewish Passover Seders, the Jews will include an empty chair at the table in anticipation that Elijah will return to herald the Messiah in fulfillment of Malachi’s word. For the Christian, the Messiah has already come. His Body—the Church, are the ones that are heralding Him at this time… until the day He returns for us, His bride.
The reference to the days of Ezekiel is a warning to the Church as the Watchman:
“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.” (Ezekiel 33:7-9 NIV)
While we are no longer under the law of the prophets—because we believe Jesus fulfilled the law—this warning is not specifically directed to Christian believers. Nevertheless it remains imperative that we preach salvation and confront sin and wickedness among the people with whom we live.
In this post from GotQuestions, [https://www.gotquestions.org/Elijah-end-times.html] the author writes. “According to Malachi 4:6, the reason for Elijah’s return will be to ‘turn the hearts’ of fathers and their children to each other. In other words, the goal would be reconciliation. In the New Testament, Jesus reveals that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy: “All the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come” (Matthew 11:13-14). This fulfillment is also mentioned in Mark 1:2-4 and Luke 1:17; 7:27.” So, what are we to make of it?
Especially today, Christians who desire to exercise their faith and share the scriptures, must respectfully insist that we be given unfettered access to the public square—as others are, because ours is a message of hope. But, we are becoming increasingly mocked, marginalized, and even sentenced to prison. for protesting abortion. [https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/final-defendant-sentenced-federal-conspiracy-against-rights-and-freedom-access-clinic]
I believe my Lord has inspired me to write the truth about what I observe every day. I believe as Christians should, we’re living in the Kingdom of God now because it is the spiritual rule over the hearts and lives of those who willingly submit to God’s authority. Again, we read from GotQuestions about this Kingdom of God:
“Broadly speaking, the Kingdom of God is the rule of an eternal, sovereign God over all the universe. Several passages of Scripture show that God is the undeniable Monarch of all creation: ‘The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.’ (Psalm 103:19). And, as King Nebuchadnezzar declared, “His kingdom is an eternal kingdom” (Daniel 4:3). Every authority that exists has been established by God. (Romans 13:1) So, in one sense, the kingdom of God incorporates everything that is.” (emphasis added)
Our calling is to advance the Kingdom and the Truth. I also believe there is a great danger for Christians to imbibe the very things that are designed to divide us—racism, reverse racism, transgenderism, critical theory, and intersectionality, among other heresies. We preach the truth—but like Ezekiel and Elijah, who heralded the coming Messiah, we must confront the powers that have determined to shut up our mouths.
This week I found myself speaking about our coarsening culture with someone I work with. I pointed out how much politics—the vulgar kind—were poisoning our lives and the lives of our families. I managed to explain that’s still important to vote, but only according to what we know is true, and not to fall for the lies of the enemy. During this time, I took the opportunity to share my faith in Christ with her.
- “So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.” (Acts 8: 30-31 ESV)
It’s really not so difficult to do, especially when people see you as someone they can trust. If we live in the Kingdom, it must look to others we operate that way.
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