Elijah’s Prophetic Prelude
In the Tanakh, the indication that Elijah must appear before the coming of the Messiah is found in Malachi’s prophecy. In particular, it is stated as follows:"Behold, I will send to you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the day of the Lord, great and dreadful. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I, coming, will not strike the land with a curse." (source: link txt, page: 846-847)A similar presentation of this prophecy is found in another passage, where Malachi declares: "Malachi prophesied: I will send to you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the day of the Lord, great and dreadful. This prophecy undoubtedly refers to that great and dreadful day..." (source: link txt, page: 6241)Thus, it is in Malachi’s prophecy that the idea is established that Elijah must come before the coming of the day of the Lord, which is traditionally linked to the precursor of the coming of the Messiah.Supporting citation(s):"Behold, I will send to you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the day of the Lord, great and dreadful. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I, coming, will not strike the land with a curse." (source: link txt, page: 846-847)"Malachi prophesied: I will send to you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the day of the Lord, great and dreadful. This prophecy undoubtedly refers to that great and dreadful day..." (source: link txt, page: 6241)