What does “he is Elijah who is to come” mean (Matthew 11:14)?

John the Baptist shares striking parallels with Elijah, both in prophetic role and personal characteristics. In Matthew 11:14, Jesus says of John the Baptist, “He is Elijah who is to come” (ESV). This declaration means that John the Baptist fulfills Old Testament prophecy about a messenger (see Malachi 3:1), specifically Elijah, who was to return before the coming of the Messiah (see Malachi 4:5–6).

The final two verses of the Old Testament foretell the coming of Elijah to prepare people for the Messiah’s arrival and for the day of God’s judgment on the nation of Israel: “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse” (Malachi 4:5–6, NLT).

Malachi promises a forerunner to the Messiah who will warn people and turn their hearts back to God, implicitly cautioning that, if people do not turn, the Messiah’s coming will bring a curse instead of a blessing. Mark 1:2–4 and Luke 7:27 also make clear that John the Baptist fulfilled Malachi’s prophecies.

Christ’s statement, “He is the Elijah who is to come,” does not mean that John the Baptist is literally Elijah returned to earth. Instead, it means that John is a representative of Elijah’s ministry. Before the birth of John the Baptist, the angel of the Lord appeared to his father, Zechariah, and explained that John “will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:16–17).

God predicted that John’s work would be like Elijah’s in “spirit and power.” Just as Elijah was God’s mouthpiece in the Old Testament, John the Baptist was God’s voice in the New Testament. The two prophets shared similar character and courage. John and Elijah both carried the same message of repentance and reconciliation, calling Israel to turn from sin. Serving as an archetype of Elijah’s ministry, John extended an opportunity for the children of Israel to return to the faith of their fathers.

Moreover, Elijah and John the Baptist shared remarkable personal similarities—both dressed distinctively (see 2 Kings 1:8; Matthew 3:4), preached in the wilderness (1 Kings 19:3–18; Matthew 3:1–6), called people to repentance (1 Kings 18:21; Matthew 3:1–2), and courageously confronted powerful rulers (1 Kings 18:1—19:3; Matthew 14:3–4). They were both heralds of truth who faced persecution (1 Kings 19:1–21; Matthew 14:1–12).

Although John himself denied being Elijah (see John 1:21), Jesus recognized him as the fulfillment of the prophetic expectation. John’s denial of such an honor before his fellow Jews was most likely a reflection of his simple, humble self-evaluation. It does not contradict or negate Christ’s claim regarding his prophetic significance.

Immediately before stating that John the Baptist “is the Elijah who is to come,” Jesus said to the crowds, “If you are willing to accept it,” and then followed up with, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:14–15, ESV). Jesus knew that many of the Jews in the crowd would not accept John as the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy, nor would they listen to his message of repentance and reconciliation (see Matthew 3:7–10; Mark 11:27–33). Ultimately, Israel’s leaders had John executed (see Mark 6:25–29). Later, they rejected and put to death their own Messiah (see Matthew 17:12–13).

As the metaphorical Elijah who is to come, John the Baptist was a forerunner to Jesus, tasked with preparing Israel for the day of the Lord. Numerous biblical scholars believe that Malachi’s prophecies may also refer to a future, literal Elijah who is anticipated to appear in the end times as one of the two witnesses described in Revelation 11.