During the forty days following His resurrection, Jesus Christ appeared to His disciples, speaking of matters pertaining to the kingdom of God. When they gathered together, the disciples asked Him, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" He responded, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." This instruction highlighted their role as witnesses, emphasizing a spiritual mission over immediate political restoration, and outlined a progressive expansion of their testimony from Jerusalem outward to the world.

John the Baptist, as the prophesied Elijah, came to restore all things in preparation for the Messiah's arrival. His ministry, marked by great effectiveness, turned the hearts of the fathers to the children and led to right relationships within human families and the Family of God. Though the full details of what he preached are not recorded, he restored everything necessary for the Messiah to be recognized and received. Jesus Himself confirms that John was the Elijah to come, fulfilling the prophecy of Malachi 4:5-6, and that his work was of immense significance. His role was to appear before the great and dreadful day of the Lord, marking the transition from one epoch to the next as the last and greatest of the Old Testament prophets.

John the Baptist, as the fulfillment of the prophecy in Malachi 4:5-6, was declared by Jesus Christ to be the Elijah who was to come. In Matthew 17:11-12, Jesus affirms that Elijah truly shall first come and restore all things, and He clarifies that this Elijah has already come in the person of John, though many did not recognize him. The phrase "restore all things" carries a broad meaning of putting back in order, reorganizing, or straightening out. John accomplished this by correcting the distorted ideas and notions about the Messiah held by the scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and others, preparing the way for the true recognition of Jesus Christ as the One to follow. John's ministry mirrored the work of the original Elijah by enabling people to see the true God, just as Elijah did in distinguishing the Lord from false deities. Through his preaching of repentance, John straightened out misunderstandings, fulfilling the role of restoring all things in relation to identifying the Messiah. Additionally, as prophesied in Malachi 4:6, John turned the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, emphasizing the restoration of family relationships as a vital part of preparing for the coming of the Lord. This focus on family aligns with the historical context of Malachi's time, addressing issues of divorce and family discord, and underscores the importance of proper relationships in seeing and relating to God as a family.

Jesus declared in Matthew 17:11 that Elijah truly shall first come and restore all things, affirming the expectation that a preparatory work must precede the Messiah's arrival. He clarified that this restoration, as tied to John the Baptist, encompassed all things necessary to prepare a people for the Messiah's first coming. This mission of restoration, unique in its scope, focused on turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, making ready a people for the Lord. Jesus emphasized that John fulfilled this prophetic role, embodying the spirit and power of Elijah to accomplish what was needed for that time.