One of the last signs Jesus gives before His return is the coming of Elijah. The prophet Malachi wrote –

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”-Mal. 4:5,6

Jesus also said John the Baptist came in the spirit of Elijah to prepare the way before the Lord and the angel announced the birth of John the Baptist this way –

“And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also 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 wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” – Luke 1:16,17

It is clear that one of the primary preparations for the return of the Lord is the restoration of family. One of the first acts of creation after man was the making of a woman and God brought her to the man to be one, one flesh. Again Malachi puts it this way –

“But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. ” – Mal. 2:15

The man and the woman become one in marriage and God even gives them a remnant of the Holy Spirit to seal this covenant between God and man, the covenant of marriage. God’s purpose for this is to get ‘godly’ offspring. He gives to the man and woman the blessing to beget children, new life in whom is a spirit. This is not a human invention brought about by human will but, it is a supernatural endowment and blessed by God Himself. That is why He states He hates divorce –

“For the LORD God of Israel says That He hates divorce, ” – Mal. 2:16

That is also why He hates abortion. The child is not primarily of human origin, even though God allows a human to be a part of the process, it is a divine action and giving of a new spirit from God alone.

Only a great ‘falling away’ of the Church (2 Thes. 2:3) can allow the present day support for divorce and abortion among the Church. From the beginning it was not so.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.” – Col. 3:16-21

Wives submitting to their husbands is not an example of husbands ‘lording it over’ their wives but an example of unity of spirit between them. For the husbands are to love their wives and lay down their lives for their safety, just as Christ loves the Church.

Last month I lost my wife of 60 years and I can vouch for the wisdom of these words. We became so much one that now I often feel lost without her, even though I know we will soon meet again in heaven.

When Elijah comes he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to the fathers. Parents know that it is your God given responsibility to love your children and this love includes teaching them about God and His truths. While discipline is important, discipline without love will provoke your children to reject both you and God. By family prayer and Scripture reading include your children, encourage them to participate and show interest in their lives.

“You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” – Deut. 11:19

The modern feminist movement denies these principles and modern education seeks to undermine God’s influence as well as parental influence on the children. Those few educators who believe in them are often overwhelmed by the broken families they must confront. The war between good and evil is intensifying and we must all become filled with the Spirit of Elijah to win this battle.