Who was Elijah, the Prophet that was destined to turn hearts? What manner of man was he? Elijah was a Tishbite denoting that his birthplace was Tishbe, a place in Upper Galilee. He is described as an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. who lived during the reign of Ahab who was the seventh King of Israel. Ahab reigned for 22 years between 871 and 852 BC). Ahab married Jezebel, a gentile, contrary to the customs of Israel. Under her influence, he built a pagan temple, and allowed idols into Samaria. Elijah warned Ahab that the country would suffer from drought if the cult of Baal was not removed from the land of Israel. “Elijah said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.” During the drought Elijah was commanded to; “Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.” (I Kings 17:1-14) The story of the widow woman and the miracles performed in behalf of this great prophet while he sojourned there is a recommended read.
When the suffering in Israel was extreme, Ahab met with Elijah and said unto him, “Art thou he that troubleth Israel?” Elijah said, “I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.” Elijah told Ahab to, “Gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table. When they were all gathered together, Elijah came before all the people, and said, “How long halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him”. And the people answered him not a word. Then said Elijah unto the people, “I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, “It is well spoken.”
When the prophets of Baal prepared the sacrifice and called upon Baal… nothing happened and Elijah mocked them saying. “Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, pursuing, in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.”
Then Elijah said unto all the people, “Come near unto me. …And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, … And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar,… And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood….” And they did it a second and a third time. Then Elijah came and said, “LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.” Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, “The LORD, he is the God.”
And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah, Elisha was with him and as they went on, and talked; behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire,…and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. (2 Kings 2:1-15) And Elisha saw him no more.
Based on latter day scripture it appears that the Lord Himself came to bring Elijah home. (Abraham 2:7) “For I am the Lord thy God;… I cause the wind and the fire to be my chariot; I say to the mountains depart hence and behold, they are taken away by a whirlwind, in an instant, suddenly.”
The Prophesy in the last chapter of Malachi was repeated to the Prophet Joseph Smith by Moroni, with a few additional words as follows:. “BEHOLD, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were no so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming. (D&C 2:1-3)
Elijah did return on 3 April 1836, as recorded in (D&C110:13-15) “After the vision had closed, another great and glorious vision burst upon us; for Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before us, and said: Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi testifying that he (Elijah) should be sent, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come to turn the hearts fo the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse…” Elijah restored the sealing power of the Priesthood making it possible to seal families together for time and all eternity. He turned the hearts of the Israelites back to their God by a miraculous demonstration of God’s power. Maybe that is what it will take to turn the hearts of Latter-Day Israelites to their fathers. We are so grateful for the Tishbite, Elijah, who was a powerful and faithful servant of our God, who was destined to turn hearts. Based on the above prophesy, we must plant the promises made to the Father’s (Abraham 2:8-11) in the hearts of the children first, and their hearts will be turned to their fathers. Let us become planters!