Why did "John the Baptist" deny he is Elijah when Jesus said he is? Thanks.?

Question

Matthew 17:9-13 (Jesus said Johh is Elijah). John 1:19-24 (John the Baptist said he is not Elijah). I am doing some research and i do believe in the bible, but please provide me with facts and proofs from the bible. Thanks and with best regard.

Answer 1

John the Baptist was a spiritual type of Elijah, note the similarities:

1. Place of abode:
Elijah: "hide thyself by the brook" (1 Kings 17:3)
John: In Deserts (Matthew 3:1).

2. Food
Elijah: Ravens fed him (1 Kings 17:6)
John: Locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4).

3. Appearance
Elijah: Hairy man (2 Kings 1:8)
John: Raiment of camel's hair (Matthew 3:4)

4. Message
Elijah: calamity to nation; call to repentance (1 Kings 18:39)
John: Judgement to come; call to repentance (Matthew 3:4)

5. Influence over multitudes
Elijah: Personality tremendous and compelling (1 Kings 18)
John: Brought whole nation into wilderness (Matthew 3:5; Luke 3:15)

6. Firey wrath on enemies of true religion:
Elijah: (see 1 Kings 18:40)
John: (see Matthew 3:7)

7. In the presence of kings:
Elijah: Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kings 21:19)
John: Herod and Herodias (Matthew 14:4)

8. Rage of an evil woman:
Elijah: Jezebel (1 Kings 29:2)
John: Herodias (Matthew 14:4)

9. The dark hour
Elijah: (see 1 Kings 29:4)
John: (see Matthew 11:2)

10. Extraordinary end of life
Elijah: (see 2 Kings 2:11)
John: (see Matthew 14:11)

11. Loyalty of disciples
Elijah: (see 2 Kings 16:17)
John: (see Matthew 14:12)

Note: NO "latter day prophet", no "pope", NO, not even an angel from heaven is permitted to preach a REVISED GOSPEL (Galatians 1:6-10). Everyone who names the name of Christ as LORD is committed to "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all time delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).

Malachi 4:5 is speaking of John the Baptist:

evidence that demands a verdict:

#1 - LUKE 1:5-17

the prediction of the birth of John the Baptist:

5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.
7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.
8 Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division,
9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering.
11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.
12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him.
13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.
14 "You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
15 "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother's womb.
16 "And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.
17 "It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

#2 - MATTHEW 11:7-15

Jesus' Words of John

7 As these men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 "But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings' palaces! 9 "But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. 10 "This is the one about whom it is written, `BEHOLD , I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.' 11 "Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 "From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. 13 "For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 "And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. 15 "He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

#3 - MATTHEW 17:10-13

10 And His disciples asked Him, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" 11 And He answered and said, "Elijah is coming and will restore all things; 12 but I say to you that Elijah already came, the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.

Answer 2

I don't believe why these great prophets could be in contradiction each other. It should not be happen! how come John the Baptist was in contradiction with Jesus Christ? Jesus said if John the Baptist was Elijah but John the Baptist denied being Elijah. One of Two (Jesus and John) is forbidden by God right? Look what Jesus Christ said about John the Baptist: "Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist! yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he...!" (Matthew 11:11) I'm a muslim and John the Baptist in Islam is called by Yahya (PBUH), and we never said if John The Baptist was in big lie. But I'm interested in that question at John 1:21 and please do not cut the whole question from John 1:19. "And this is the testimony of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites to him from Jerusalem to ask him, Who are you? He confessed (admitted the truth) and did not try to conceal it, but acknowledged, I am not the Christ! (in my manual book CEV 2001 said messiah) They asked him, What then? Are you Elijah? And he said, I am not! Are you the Prophet? And he answered, No!" From these verses, actually we knew there are 3 (three) question to John The Baptist: a. Who are you? (meant are you Messiah?) - he said I'm not the Christ b. Are you Elijah? - he said no and Jesus said that actually Elijah has already come, but they (Jews) did not recognize him! c. Are you the Prophet? he answered, no! The conclusion of these 3 (three) question is: Jews is waiting for the completion of these 3 (three) clearly 'prediction' or prophecy, and please don't make assumption with these verses, as it was stated clearly and we can absorb by our mind... 1. The coming of Messia (Jesus Christ) 2. The coming of Elijah (no body recognize him) 3. The prophet. If we are smart, then we have to take a look at the footnote from this verse that shall refer to Deuteronomy 18:18, who is prophet like (Moses)? And... we have to find out if the prophet should be like Moses but not from Israeli (look at Deuteronomy 34:10). "And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face...."

Answer 3

John the baptist was actually speaking the truth when he said that he was not Elijah.
This portion is within the context of Christ conversing on the mount of Transfiguration with Moses and Elijah.. Moses representing the Law and Elijah representing the Prophets.

John, like our brother Jonaton shared quite well here was a " type" of Elijah. But this prophesy that the scribes were referring to can be seen in the book of Mal 4:5-6
I'll quote here...

5...I am about to send Elijah the prophet to you before the great and terrible day of Jehovah comes
6...And he will turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of teh children to the fathers, least I come and strike the land with a curse.

John we see was a type of Elijah. But not Elijah himself. Luke 1:13-17 gives an account
Verse 17 reads in reference to John the Baptist.

" And it is he who will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the prudence of the righteous to prepare for th Lord a people made ready"

Very similar to the prophesy in Malachi. When John the baptist was conceived, it was said that he would go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah. Hence in a sense John may be considered" Elijah who was to come" HOWEVER the prophesy of Mal 4:5-6 will actually be fulfilled during the Great tribulation when the REAL Elijah, one of the two witnesses will come to strengthen God's people.

Unlike Elijah, John tasted of death. John did come in the spirit and power of Elijah but according to Luke 11:18 John was rejected and Beheaded (Luke 14:3-12)

Both Moses and Elijah will be the two witnesses ( Rev 11:3-4) at the time of the great Tribulation. Again, this is prophesied in Mal 4:5-6


This is an amazing question.
Ty for posting it

All the best in your studies

ur sis
sandy

Answer 4

John the Baptist was not the Elijah from the OT himself, but his role was that of an Elijah. This is perhaps what Jesus was referring to. His role was to prepare the way for the Messiah. Now when John is denying being Elijah he refers to an event yet future when the two witnesses (Elijah being one of them) make an appearance in the book of Revelation and prepare the world for the Second Coming of Christ. Check Rev 11:1-14. So we have the original Elijah, then we have John the Baptist performing the role of the prophetic Elijah and we will have the real prophetic Elijah prior to Christ's Second Coming. I hope I am not confusing you.

Blessings,

Jack

Answer 5

Joh 1:23 He said: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaias.

The Baptist obviously did not understand the full extent of his true role in the scheme of things, or he was too humble to acknowledge it.

This is what the angel Gabriel said about John the Baptist, to his father, prior to John's birth:

Luk 1:15 For he shall be great before the Lord and shall drink no wine nor strong drink: and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
Luk 1:16 And he shall convert many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

Luk 1:17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah

that he may turn the hearts of the fathers unto the children and the incredulous to the wisdom of the just, to prepare unto the Lord a perfect people.

Answer 6

The text did not say that Jesus said John is Elijah. This is what Matt 17:13 says, "Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist."

My take on this is as follows. The spirit of Elijah was upon John, but John according to the flesh was obviously John and not Elijah. John was and is essentially the last prophet of the Old Covenant (Old Testament). If you will read 2 Kings 2:15, you will find that the spirit of Elijah rested on Elisha. To my understanding (and I don't understand everything either, so please consider that) this verse in 2 Kings is referring to a prophetic mantle that Elisha received fom Elijah as he departed this world - this mantle designated him as a prophet of God. I would say that this mantle had passed to John to be the proclaimer of Christ's arrival as foretold in prophecy.

Answer 7

John was humble and rejected the title of "Elijah" for himself or being considered someone important. He preferred to be described just as one who preached at the desert.

Later, Jesus confirmed that John the Baptist was the great prophet that came before the Mesiah (Jesus).

Answer 8

John denied because he was not the real Elijah!

The prophecy about commong of Elijah did not claim the real Elijah as we see in the case of Jesus christ wherein the real Christ is a must to fulfill the prophecy.

Now, Christians and Muslims both are expecting a real Jesus Christ before the Judgement day.

The prophecy was in a symbolic term - like Elijah having the same school of thoughts, hence Jesus recognized John the baptist with his behaviour and appearance.

Answer 9

No one remembers much about their past lives.
Your spirit tends to collect the memories of the experiences but memory requires physical changes in your brain. John wouldn't lie. We all reincarnate until we are enlightened that we are in fact one with God. When we know that intimately the world changes.

It confuses those not in touch with God and Jesus knew it so he said "If you receive it."
Belief in reincarnation doesn't matter it's a naturally occurring process that's unavoidable and you probably will not remember anyway so why make an issue of it. That's what this scripture means.

Love one another.

Answer 10

Being in the Buddha state of mind , Jesus knew.
Whereas John didnt becuz he wasnt in that state.