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This statement was made as a prophecy to Zachariah in Luke 1:16-17, regarding his son, John the Baptist. John came in the spirit of Ejijah, with a call to repentance. Sin causes us to be separated from God, and in our relationships with others, particularly the authorities in our lives. As we repent of our ways, God starts a cleansing, healing process that restores our relationships. Many times through the process of life, parents and their children become divided. Parents may be harsh, children may be rebellious, wounds enter into our souls, pride is built up, and the process creates a dividing breach which neither knows how to mend. It is only through the cleansing, healing work of love and repentance that this breach can be repaired. Isaiah 58 gives a beautiful description of what our lives and our society will look like when the effects of our repentance begin to work outward. Verses 11-12 says, "thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in."
Malachi 4:5-6: Elijah is sent to "turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers..." The above is to be taken literally. Elijah is to end divorce, since Jesus said, "What God has joined together, let no man separate." Matthew 19:6, Mark 10:9. John the Baptist's calling is different as recorded by Luke 1:16-17. However, he was ultimately beheaded for criticizing Herod in marrying his brothers wife. Mark 6:1-20. John the Baptist did not fulfill the Malachi 4:5-6 prophecy.
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