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.