John came as Elijah

And they were further confused when the ACTUAL Elijah appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration.

So in a sense, there were 2 different Elijah's that came.

KT

tonychanyt said:

Who is Elijah?

He was one of the major prophets in the OT.

Why does Jesus say in Matthew 11 that John the Baptist is Elijah?

Malachi is the last book in the OT. He prophesied in 4:


In the intertestamental period, Jews were waiting for the coming Messiah to accomplish the Day of the LORD.

Matthew 17:


Jesus pointed out that Elijah in Malachi 4:5 was fulfilled by John the Baptiser, and he himself was the Messiah.

Click to expand...

It isn't made clear in the original prophecy, but the New Testament makes it clear that John the Baptist fulfilled the prophecy about the Elijah to come. It turned out that the prophecy was not about Elijah himself coming, but one like Elijah.

Luke 1:13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Malachi 4:5-6 and Malachi 3:1 are referenced in Luke 1:17.