Steve Wells ~
The "if ye will receive it" phrase could be validly paraphrased as, "If you look at it the right way."
If one brings incorrect assumptions to the table -- "John the Baptist is a reincarnation of Elijah" or "John the Baptist is not the child of Zechariah and Elizabeth; he is Elijah the Tishbite who recently landed his fiery chariot in the Judean desert" -- then one will get the wrong impression from the statement that John the Baptist = Elijah. But if you bring the right assumptions to the table -- "Malachi 3:1 uses the template of Elijah's personality, role, and location to describe the forerunner of the Messiah" -- then you will get the right impression.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
The "if ye will receive it" phrase could be validly paraphrased as, "If you look at it the right way."
If one brings incorrect assumptions to the table -- "John the Baptist is a reincarnation of Elijah" or "John the Baptist is not the child of Zechariah and Elizabeth; he is Elijah the Tishbite who recently landed his fiery chariot in the Judean desert" -- then one will get the wrong impression from the statement that John the Baptist = Elijah. But if you bring the right assumptions to the table -- "Malachi 3:1 uses the template of Elijah's personality, role, and location to describe the forerunner of the Messiah" -- then you will get the right impression.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
