Malachi 4:4-6
Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments (4). We are here reminded of the ending of Ecclesi-astes: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments” (Eccles. 12:13).
The final note of the Old Testament is predictive: Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord (5). In one sense this was a prophecy of John the Baptist, who should “go before him [the Lord] in the spirit and power of Elias” (Luke 1:17). It is significant that this passage from Luke actually quotes v. 6: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children. This is a prophecy of John's preparatory work of converting Israel in order that they might receive Christ. In this sense Jesus could say of John, “This is Elias, which was for to come” (Matt. 11:14).