Is Revelation depicting Elijah himself or someone in the “spirit of Elijah”?

Q. In Matthew 17:10-13, the disciples were confused about Elijah. They knew of John the Baptist, but had to learn that Jesus was talking about the “spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17), which John represented, not the actual person. Later, in the book of Revelation, Elijah shows up again. Could the same logic apply? That is, could a well-know figure fill this role as Elijah, or do you think that it’s the actual person? Perhaps, we simply don’t know. This could lead to confusion as it did for the disciples.

Elijah is actually not mentioned by name in the book of Revelation. But the two witnesses John sees in his vision are described in terms reminiscent of Elijah and Moses: “They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.” However, this does not mean that these two witnesses will actually be Moses and Elijah, returned to earth as at the time of the Transfiguration, particularly since they are not identified by name. I think instead the idea is that these two “witnesses” will testify as to how the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah) point to Jesus. That is what the book of Acts describes Paul doing in Rome: “He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus.” These witnesses will do that on a grander scale, accompanied by works of power as God “confirms his word by the signs that accompany it.” But since Elijah is not identified by name as one of these witnesses, we don’t need to ask whether that is literal or figurative. I think it is most likely that these witnesses will come “in the spirit and power” of Elijah and Moses, without necessarily being those two individuals returned to earth.

Author: Christopher R Smith

The Rev. Dr. Christopher R. Smith is an an ordained minister, a writer, and a biblical scholar. He was active in parish and student ministry for twenty-five years. He was a consulting editor to the International Bible Society (now Biblica) for The Books of the Bible, an edition of the New International Version (NIV) that presents the biblical books according to their natural literary outlines, without chapters and verses. His Understanding the Books of the Bible study guide series is keyed to this format. He was also a consultant to Tyndale House for the Immerse Bible, an edition of the New Living Translation (NLT) that similarly presents the Scriptures in their natural literary forms, without chapters and verses or section headings. He has a B.A. from Harvard in English and American Literature and Language, a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Gordon-Conwell, and a Ph.D. in the History of Christian Life and Thought, with a minor concentration in Bible, from Boston College, in the joint program with Andover Newton Theological School. View all posts by Christopher R Smith