Is John the Baptist the Elias who was to come? — Section 22
Representative of a Christian church:
Latter-day Saint missionaries use the scripture Matthew 17:11-13 to prove that John the Baptist had to come in our day ‘to restore all things’, which, according to them, included the Church, the priesthood, apostles, and prophets. But I would refer you to Matthew 1:14 which, referring to John the Baptist, says: “For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if ye will receive it, this is Elias which was for to come.” This scripture points out that this John was the Elias which was for to come. The Mormon claim that John the Baptist returned in 1828 is erroneous and non-scriptural.
Representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
It is true, sir, that Christ, speaking of John, did say “And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.” However, did they receive it? Christ went on to point out that they did not receive it. In verse 18 of Matthew 11:18, he said “some had said that John has a devil” because he neither ate nor drank, and in verse 19, he said, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say “behold a man gluttonous and a winebibber.” As you can see, they did not receive it. In the 14th chapter of Matthew, we learn that John was beheaded by Herod the Tetrarch, so the did not receive him. That is why in the 17th chapter our Lord said, Elias must truly first come and restore all things, but Elias had come already. And they knew him not, but have killed him” That is why the disciples knew he spake of John the Baptist. Therefore they did not receive it, so Elias had to truly first come and restore all things.
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