John the Baptist is identified as the Elijah to come, fulfilling the prophecy in Malachi 4:5-6. As the angel tells Zacharias before John's birth, he will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. This indicates that John resembled Elijah in revealing the true God through a ministry devoted to preaching repentance and the certainty of things regarding Christ, accomplished with similar zeal, though without miracles. On two occasions, Jesus confirms this, stating in Matthew 11:13-15 that John is Elijah who is to come, and in Matthew 17:10-13, reiterating this fulfillment. Jesus emphasizes the need to pay utmost attention to this fact, noting that John's role was different from what listeners expected, as he was not the literal Elijah but fulfilled the role in spirit and power. John's ministry restored right conceptions about the Messiah and preached repentance, leading to right relationships within human families and the Family of God, preparing the way for Christ's arrival. Jesus gives no indication of another Elijah to follow John in that office. Additionally, some consideration is given to weak types of Elijah in later figures, such as the first-century apostles and others like Peter Waldo, who, in their efforts to preach the gospel and reestablish truth, mirrored aspects of Elijah's preparatory work. However, none of these are the Elijah to come, as that prophecy, by Jesus' own words, has been fulfilled by John.

John the Baptist is identified as fulfilling the role of Elijah in a profound and specific manner. As declared by Jesus in Matthew 11:13-14, John is the Elijah who was to come, embodying the spirit and power of Elijah as foretold in Luke 1:17. This connection is further reinforced in Matthew 17:10-12, where Jesus confirms that Elijah has already come in the person of John, unrecognized by many, fulfilling the prophecy of Malachi 4:5-6. John's mission mirrored Elijah's by revealing the true God through a ministry of repentance and preparing the way for the Messiah, turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just. John's work involved restoring all things, as mentioned in Matthew 17:11, which entails straightening out misconceptions about the Messiah and re-establishing the correct understanding of God, much like Elijah did in distinguishing the true God from false deities. This restoration also encompasses a focus on family life, aligning with Malachi's emphasis on turning hearts within families, addressing societal issues of his time. Unlike Elijah, John performed no miracles, as noted in John 10:41, yet his greatness was affirmed by God and Jesus, highlighting that divine measure of greatness differs from human standards. Additionally, the concept of weak types of Elijah is acknowledged in later figures who, like the First Century apostles or historical individuals such as Peter Waldo, re-established truth and preached repentance to prepare for the gospel. However, these are not the fulfillment of the specific prophecy of Elijah's return, which Jesus explicitly attributes to John the Baptist, marking him as the greatest of the Old Testament prophets and the definitive Elijah who prepared the way for Christ.

The concept of Elijah, as discussed in relation to prophetic fulfillment, centers on the expectation and realization of his role as a forerunner to the Messiah. In Matthew 17:10-13, the disciples question Jesus about the scribes' teaching that Elijah must come first. Jesus affirms that Elijah shall indeed come and restore all things, but He clarifies that Elijah has already come in the person of John the Baptist, though they did not recognize him and mistreated him. This fulfillment is tied to Malachi 4:5-6, which prophesies Elijah's return before the great and dreadful day of the Lord to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and vice versa. Further insight is provided in Luke 1:17, where John the Baptist is described as going before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, fulfilling the mission to prepare a people for the Messiah's arrival. Jesus emphasizes in Matthew 17:11-12 that the restoration of all things pertains to the necessary preparations for the Messiah's first coming, a mission accomplished by John. He explicitly states that John is the fulfillment of the Elijah prophecy, countering the scribes' expectation of a literal resurrection of Elijah himself, as seen in John 1:19-21 where John denies being Elijah in the sense the Jews anticipated. The parallel between Elijah and John lies in their roles as lights in their respective times. Elijah revealed the true God to a wayward people, distinguishing Him from the Baals, while John pointed to Jesus as the Messiah, calling for repentance. Jesus' authority confirms that John the Baptist fulfilled the role of Elijah as prophesied, and no future individual will take up that specific mantle.